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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24098446">Face My Fears</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/KimiMeagan/pseuds/KimiMeagan'>KimiMeagan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Please Don't Leave Me [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>And I'm Going To Drown Him In It, Best Friends, Bet You Can Tell By Who, Blue fire - Freeform, Canon Compliant, Canon Rewrite, Canon-Typical Violence, Chakra Impressions, Childhood Friends, Childhood Trauma, Chuunin Exams, Cooking, Depression, Destroying Childhood Memories, Epic Friendship, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Issues, Family Secrets, Flashbacks, Friendship, Gen, Gotta Go Fast, I Hate This Time, I Made Myself Cry, I'm Bad At Tagging, Iruka Umino Deserved More Love, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Kakashi Hatake Tries His Best, Maito Gai | Might Guy Is The Best Sempai, Male-Female Friendship, Mangekyou Sharingan, Mangekyou Sharingan Induced Flashbacks, Minor Character Death, Minor Character(s), Minor Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito, Multi, Nerdiness, Non-Graphic Violence, Past Lives, Plot Twists, Post-Chuunin Exams, Pre-Chuunin Exams, Recovered Memories, Reincarnation, Reincarnation Fucks Up A Person's Chakra, Running Away, Saving the Day, Saving the World, Sempai Maito Gai | Might Guy, Sequel, Sharingan, Shikaku Nara Is The Best, Sorry Not Sorry, Special Appearances, Still Getting Worse, Stress Baking, Team as Family, Training, Uchiha Madara &amp; Uchiha Obito Are Related, Uchiha Madara Has Issues, Uchiha Massacre, Uchiha Obito Lives, You can't change my mind, everyone's dying, i didn't want to, oh shit, send help</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:33:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>33,196</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24098446</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/KimiMeagan/pseuds/KimiMeagan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to <i>When We Were Young</i></p><p>Her heart pounded away in her chest - Her eyes blurred but she knew what she saw - Her hands shook - Her skin pimpled in unease as the icy chill slid down her spine - </p><p>Golden yellow eyes locked onto her from beyond the tree branches, nothing like Orochimaru's snake-like gaze that followed her on missions, but she knew who they belonged to - </p><p>An elder in a cave, beyond his time - </p><p>A shattered and broken teen -</p><p>An exiled goddess - </p><p>She never should have left Konoha.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Minor or Background Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Please Don't Leave Me [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1448299</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>367</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Amazing OFC fanfiction</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Waking up started slow. The Uchiha part of her brain kept her breathing steady and her eyes closed and her senses reaching ever outwards to see who was around her <i>because one never knew what was going on</i>; the Havard part struggled to keep the emotions coursing through her in check, to keep the tears at bay, <i>to not think about –</i></p><p>A wide grin that spoke of impossible dreams – </p><p>A madman driven to insanity by lost love – </p><p>Fathomless black eyes dark as ink and hair the shade of a midnight sky – </p><p>Ayame saw Uchiha Obito – Vita saw Obi-nii – </p><p>
  <i>
    <b>Who was she – </b>
  </i>
</p><p>Old paper and water lilies, wet dirt and sunlit leaves – <i>Iruka was there</i>, curled up nearby, and asleep, if the steady and slow pulse of his chakra was any indication. His hand was in hers, holding it loosely in his slumber, and it made her more aware of whatever it was holding her wrists down.</p><p>Velcro – <i>something thick but not rope</i> – not rough but it wasn’t made of <i>cloth</i> – </p><p>Vita thought of insane asylums from movies long gone and plots half-formed – </p><p>Laundry in the wind and a sky full of clouds, sunset-warmed earth and a cat arching its back against rays of sun – she <i>knew</i> that steady chakra anywhere and wondered why it was so far from her. Shikaku was there, and awake, but his chakra was broiling and shifting and – he was worried, <i>agitated</i>, and she wanted to reach out to him with her other hand but it was stuck in place too.</p><p>A quick retort and loud bluster – </p><p>Confidence born from loneliness and clan disappointment – </p><p>A roaring campfire and a hand full of firecrackers, a torch just out of reach and smoke in her lungs – Mikoto, and with her was Itachi with his burning embers and warm breeze in autumn.</p><p>Ayame wasn’t looking for Mikoto or Itachi – </p><p>A loud laugh in a quiet house –</p><p>A sturdy presence all around her – </p><p><i>Shikaku – Iruka –</i> </p><p>“<i>Obi-nii –</i>”</p><p>“Ayame!” Iruka was there so suddenly that for a moment, <i>just a moment</i>, she couldn’t breathe. He was all around her, arms wrapped firmly in place, plastering him to her, with his face buried against her neck and his chin digging into her collar bone. She wouldn’t have it any other way, unless they took off her bindings so she could hug him back.</p><p>Oh, she wanted to hold him <i>so badly</i>; she could feel his tears soaking her skin.</p><p>“You scared me so much,” Iruka was shaking, she realized belatedly, and she pressed her face as close to him as she could, inhaling sweat-covered hair that smelled <i>terrible</i> but it was <i>Iruka</i>. <i>Iruka</i>, who never left her but stayed – <i>always stayed</i> – and reminded her so much of – </p><p>“Shikaku –” She didn’t want to<i> think –</i> </p><p>“Right here,” His hand – so much bigger than<i> his</i> had been – pushed her hair, and by extension, Iruka's, out of her face and back onto her head. “How are you feeling?”</p><p>“I –” Falling boulders and a dark cave – a creature and a madman from beyond the grave – a life <i>twisted</i> and a team <i>shattered and broken</i> – “I’ve been better.” Her voice croaked and she mourned the loss of Shikaku's hand on her head when he moved to grab a cup of water. No straw, so she had to be careful not to spill any on Iruka.</p><p>A plot she only half knew of floated through her mind as if it was just tales from a book series and not a life she was living.</p><p>“We’re all glad you’re doing better,” Mikoto was there – Mikoto<i>-sama</i> – and she put Itachi – Itachi<i>-sama</i> – on the bed beside her. The heir wasn’t old enough to be left alone, not in Ayame's mind, but he just scooted closer and kept quiet like the good kid he was. “What all do you remember?”</p><p>
  <i>What an odd thing to ask – </i>
</p><p>She took note of the way Shikaku slid his eyes in Mikoto's direction and how Iruka curled tighter against her and how Itachi was clutching at her bed sheets tightly – </p><p>She was answering while Shikaku removed her wrist constraints. “Obi-nii was supposed to come home today.” <i>He wasn’t dead</i> – She <i>knew</i> he wasn’t dead – She was going to rip out Zetsu's throat <i>with her teeth</i> – “Minato-san and his team came back.” Obi-nii's <i>sensei</i> never would have left him behind – <i>Kakashi</i> never would have left him behind – <i>Rin would never – </i></p><p><b>Rin –</b> </p><p>“I’m afraid there’s more to it than that, but you are correct,” Mikoto was avoiding eye contact then and Itachi had found her hand and Shikaku's had returned to her head and now,<i> finally</i>, she was able to wrap around Iruka in return.</p><p>It wasn’t perfect without – </p><p>“Where's Obaa-san?” She wasn’t going to think of the other member of her family just yet; it <i>hurt</i>. And it was odd, though not bad, that she was surrounded by her precious people but was missing her main family.</p><p>“She's –”</p><p>“Uchiha-dono,” Shikaku interrupted her, the look he had tossed her from before intensifying. She didn’t know what was going on.</p><p>She only asked to avoid thinking about – </p><p>“She needs to know of her circumstances, Nara-dono,” Her voice didn’t betray a single emotion but her eyes narrowed just a little. Itachi's grip on her hand tightened. “Would you mind giving us the room for a moment.” <i>It wasn’t a question.</i></p><p>Shikaku didn’t move until she lifted her hand from Iruka's back, where she had been clutching at him, to instead grab his hand. She nodded in a <i>it's-OK</i> fashion before nudging Iruka too. “Go home,” <i>She didn’t want him to leave.</i> “I’ll be here tomorrow.” No guarantees beyond that. Iruka didn’t move for a moment but she waited until he shifted before pushing him up and towards the clan head.</p><p>Shikaku grabbed him before walking out, giving Mikoto a shake of his head and a rough parting sigh.</p><p>“I have some terrible news to give you.” Then why did she just tell her <i>support system</i> to leave? Ayame swallowed back the comments and wished that it was all a terrible dream. “I am afraid that Shizuka-san did not take the news of Obito-kun any better than you had.”</p><p>“What happened?” Something gripped her heart in a vice.</p><p>Miso soup and omurice – stories in the dark when she couldn’t sleep and quiet humming when she could – </p><p>“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this – her heart couldn’t take the news and it gave out.” Obaa-san was <i>gone</i>? First Obi-nii and then Obaa-san and… <i>Rin was next</i> – she was <i>not</i> going to lose her too. Obi-nii would be <i>devastated – </i></p><p>“We do need to discuss something.” Ayame let her hand remain loose and numb in Itachi's grip, her eyes blinking so very slowly as they remained on Mikoto. Why was everyone around her <i>dying</i>? “When Minato-san told you of Obito-kun, your Sharingan changed.”</p><p><i>The Mangekyō Sharingan.</i> She didn’t want it.</p><p>“The toll it took on your body, at such a young age, had caused your admittance to the hospital. Your chakra was depleting at a rapid pace and something had happened beyond that; medics couldn’t explain it. Your yin chakra levels skyrocketed to points that worried everyone and then evened out to normal levels just before you awoke.” Her yin – </p><p>Could it have been because of – </p><p>It was possible.</p><p>“You have awakened your Mangekyō Sharingan.”</p><p>Ayame blinked at her, overwhelmed in spite of her knowledge. She knew nothing about her Obaa-san dying – <i>neither parts of her did</i> – and she let the situation catch up with her sluggishly. Pieces fitting into place before her emotions caught up. “You want to talk about my <i>Sharingan</i>,” The words were choked out, everything hitting her seemingly at once. “And not about my now being an <i>orphan</i>.”</p><p><i>Uchiha</i>… she had thought them, <i>herself included</i>, to be an emotional lot, disregarding their outward appearances and legendary stoic expressions. Bottled up emotions that they felt so very deeply on the inside.</p><p>She was beginning to think she was wrong.</p><p>“I’m feeling a little tired,” Her voice was wooden and low, her eyes steady on Mikoto's own, and she tugged a little at Itachi's fingers lightly before letting them go. “Would you mind leaving so that I may rest.” Not a question, but still phrased as one to keep from being rude. Vita Havard was rarely rude in her life and Uchiha Ayame was never rude <i>intentionally</i> – but it was on the tip of her tongue to tell the woman – </p><p>Her <i>clan head's wife</i> – the <i>matriarch</i> – to <b>fuck off</b>.</p><p>Maybe they would kick her out of the clan… no. That’s wishful thinking.</p><p>Uchiha Mikoto had always been levelheaded in Ayame's experience, capable of brushing off most any situation around her with the ease of a woman who had seen everything and still chose to be around a person like Uzumaki Kushina – <i>oh Sage, <b>Kushina</b></i> – and Ayame watched in detached wonder as her carefully crafted mask twitched out of place. Her eyes had dropped and turned from hers – Her chin fell – Her hands, folded in her lap and held loosely, clenched briefly – </p><p>She stood and gathered Itachi back into her arms. “Rest well, Ayame-chan. I will be back tomorrow.”</p><p>There was no promise made to be there when she returned as Ayame watched her leave before turning towards her window. She felt a cool breeze and waterlillies in the air and in her senses <i>and knew Iruka was there.</i></p><p>“She’s gone.” Iruka lifted the window slowly, poking his head into the room before swinging himself in and immediately curling against her side, eyes rimmed dark red and mouth in a downward curve. She wondered briefly how he managed to get in from the window since she wasn’t on the ground floor; the scenery outside was too high up to be from the ground.</p><p>“I’m sorry Ayame.” He mumbled the words into her side, where he had suctioned himself with arms wrapped around her and one leg tossed over both of hers to effectively pin her in place. She tugged his hair tie out and ran her fingers through his hair, keeping her eyes on the hospital door.</p><p>Mikoto and Itachi had left – Shikaku had left – There was someone else outside her door and she only faintly recognized the chakra.</p><p>Ozone and fast winds – fat rain drops against her skin and gooseflesh – static and sparks – Kakashi?</p><p>
  <i>Oh, Kakashi…</i>
</p><p>“<i>He’s alive,</i>” The words left her mouth before she could stop them, not certain if she was talking to Iruka or Kakashi or whoever else could have been listening in. “I refuse to believe he's gone until I see it with my own eyes.” Obi-nii being buried alive made ice race down her spine,<i> just the thought of it</i> – He never would have allowed it to happen, he wouldn’t have just accepted that death – He would have tried everything to <i>come home.</i></p><p>“Ayame –”</p><p>“He deserves a proper Uchiha burial if he is truly gone… and he deserves to come home if he isn't.” She wasn’t in the habit of interrupting Iruka – she hated doing so just as much as anyone else that did it to him – but she wanted to get the words out before Kakashi left her senses, before he was out of earshot.</p><p>She wouldn’t coax him into the room – she didn’t want to spook him when he was already so fragile and skittish – but she needed him to hear her and think of what she said. She wanted him to go look for Obi-nii and know she was right – <i>that he was alive</i>.</p><p>The planning was half-hearted and desperate but it was still planning.</p><p>“Will you stay here with me?” She waited until she felt the pickle of gooseflesh leave her – <i>Kakashi was walking away</i> – before she asked Iruka to stay the night. He nodded into her ribs and she leaned back against her pillows; she hadn’t been awake twenty minutes and was already tired of it. Tired of being awake and forced to except tragedy after tragedy.</p><p>She wondered what else could go wrong and then hated herself for even thinking such.</p><p>~~</p><p>She hated hospitals. It wasn’t but a few hours later when she woke up and took in the darkened room around her and remembered the hospitals from <i>Before</i> – pale walls and shiny lackluster floors, scarce furniture all around and the ever-present lingering scent of antibiotics and cleaner. The sight transcended time and space, she was certain, because it was only the sight of Iruka still attached to her side that kept her from saying she was Vita and not Ayame.</p><p>
  <i>But she was both, wasn’t she?</i>
</p><p>The IV bag attached to her arm was empty and there was a lingering numbness in her arm that told her she had been still for far too long. She nudged Iruka awake and said that they were leaving.</p><p>“<i>Wha – </i>Where are we going?” He was rubbing his eyes and still had her legs pinned but he was waking up.</p><p>“I want to go home.” Home – <i>without Obi-nii and Obaa-san and quiet humming and distant snickering</i>. She was going to have to go home at some point. “Are you going to come with me?”</p><p>Iruka nodded, determination flashing across his face, before they both started getting up. Ayame from <i>Before</i> would have cringed and cried and gotten squeamish about removing her own IV but she was Ayame <i>Now</i> and she pulled it free and took off the other attachments – like the heart monitor on her chest – after unplugging all the machinery. She didn’t need it.</p><p>Sneaking out the window, because she hit her people limit hours ago, Ayame kept one hand in Iruka's as they stuck to the outside wall with chakra and slowly made their way to the ground. She had been on the second floor so it didn’t take long. Ayame kept a hold of Iruka –<i> a big grin and big dreams</i> –<i> a green vest and kids in a classroom</i> – and ducked and weaved around buildings and crowds until she made it to the Uchiha Clan Compound and, from there, her house.</p><p>It <i>was</i> her house now – everyone else in it was gone.</p><p>“What are you gonna do?” Iruka tugged at her hand to stop her and she blinked before she recalled only telling him she wanted to go home.</p><p>“Ah,” She finally let go of his hand. “I was going to take a bath before bed. I feel icky.” Simple, right? “My room is in here.” She led him down the short hall before opening the door on the right – the one across from it was Obi-nii’s – and letting him inside. The door at the end of the hall was Obaa-san's and – “I'll be right back.” </p><p>~~</p><p>Time seemed to move so much slower than it had before –<i> the day seemed endless</i> – but she washed and dressed and went back to her room like she said she would. Iruka was slumped over, asleep, like he had tried to wait on her and lost the battle. It gave her a little time to do what she knew she needed to.</p><p>Obaa-san was a private person, even Ayame and Obi-nii knew that, so Ayame knew she was going to have to be the one to pack all of her things away. Others would offer help,<i> and she would thank them for the thought when they do</i>, but she was going to do it herself. It was only right.</p><p>Obaa-san's room was just as she remembered it – not having changed in all the years she has lived here. The dresser was still under the window, the bed was still in the middle of the room, the closet door was still partially ajar, the quilt was still perfectly in place at the end of the bed – it was as if she was about to walk right back in at any moment.</p><p>Vita hadn't experienced losing her grandmother when she existed <i>Before</i>, but she knew she was handling it better than she should have been. Or maybe it was because she was Ayame <i>Now</i> and she was just better at that sort of thing because of the shinobi desensitization classes the Academy taught<i> without saying that was what it was</i>.</p><p>Her life was more than a little complicated with two of them filling her head.</p><p>She got halfway through emptying the closest when she reached up to push her hair back behind her ear and just – <i>stopped</i>. There was an itching around her that had her looking around before her Sharingan came to life. <i>No</i>… it needed something more. The eyes shifted and changed and she felt the tug against her chakra coils, battered as they were because of the awakening, and looked up.</p><p>There, at the top of the closet, one of the boards was there but… <i>sealed?</i> Not there at all? It was confusing and the most interesting thing in the room and Ayame stuck her feet to the wall as she climbed the closet to get to it. She tried chakra first – nothing. Then she tried a drop of her own blood to see if it was blood activated – </p><p>It opened. There were scrolls and journals – <i>because that was what all journals looked like</i> – stacked neatly against the wall inside the compartment and Ayame took all of them out and spread them out on the bed. They were old, outrageously so, and could have been from before her own parents were born. She picked up the top journal and skimmed it, Mangekyō Sharingan still alight.</p><p>Her hands shook as she put it back down. The next one she breezed through the same way, her eyes catching the words and codes and – </p><p>It explained a lot.</p><p>Most of the scrolls were storage, she wasn’t ready to look at for what, but the last one was for summoning. She didn’t know what the <i>Felidae Summoning Contract</i> was, or why Obaa-san never mentioned it, but it belonged to her now.</p><p>She didn’t have to be alone at home, <i>not if she had a summons</i>.</p><p>Her mind not working as it normally did, grief addling her thoughts, and she <i>knew</i> – she should <i>wait</i> and build her chakra back up to <i>maximum capacity</i> before even attempting – but she couldn’t think beyond the fact that a summon would <i>be family</i> that it was <i>from family</i> –</p><p>She missed hers.</p><p>There, at the end of the list of names, <i>only two people long</i>, was the name of her apparent great-uncle, Uchiha Izuna, and she was going to guess was her great-grandmother above him, Uchiha Rina. She almost didn’t want to touch it – she now knew who her grandfather was and why the elders left her Obaa-san alone.</p><p>Her blood soaked the spot she touched and blue flames shot across the parchment to scribble out her name – <i>then the room shook</i>.</p><p>She should have called Hizashi-sensei or even Shikaku before doing this, she felt so woozy suddenly. The chakra needed to activate the summoning cost her so much, she was barely hanging onto consciousness as it was, and she had emptied whatever she had gained in the short time before her levels had evened out at the hospital. A shadow loomed over her then and she struggled to lift her eyes and see who it was.</p><p>“You are,” The shadow moved, lights burning in her peripheral vision. “<i>Very</i> young.”</p><p>
  <i>Was she dying?</i>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Still going, just not on as good of a roll as before. Ayame is back and slow going - not as many time skips this time around and more OCs getting fleshed out.</p>
<p>Enjoy chapter 2!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You have awakened.” The low rumbling voice spoke before she was even aware of it herself. Eyes struggling to open, without her Sharingan being active it was so much harder to see, but she found no one around her, no Iruka and no Mikoto and no – “I can imagine that you are exhausted.”</p>
<p>
  <i>That wasn’t a human.</i>
</p>
<p>He, because of how low the voice was, she was going with a he, was long and broad and big and – a jaguar? A clouded jaguar, with faintly glowing spots that made her want to touch them and faintly glowing silvery-green eyes and – <b>big predator. </b>Her mind caught that fact last and she wondered for her mental health for a bit.</p>
<p>“You have used the Felidae Summoning Contract. I am here on behalf of Mineko-sama and am to assess you, to see if you are worthy.” Mineko-sama? Was she the one in charge? Why did her name sound like a pun? “You may call me Shiro.” Didn’t that mean white?</p>
<p>Her mind wasn’t working right.</p>
<p>“Tell me, how have you come across the Summoning Contract?” He was looming over her from where she was sprawled out on the ground, moonlight peaking in through the cracked curtains and the overhead light blocked out by his bulk. His green-grey-silver eyes narrowed in on her, pupils sliding into slits, and she realized belatedly that she had been quiet for too long.</p>
<p>She had to clear her throat before she could talk. “It was in my grandmother's possession, bearing the names of my great-uncle and great-grandmother.” She struggled to swallow around the lump in her throat as she spit out the words she needed to say. “I am the granddaughter of Uchiha Madara, former Clan head to the Uchiha Clan; great-granddaughter of Uchiha Rina, a previous summoner.”</p>
<p>And wasn’t all that a kick in the teeth.</p>
<p>“I had been Uchiha Izuna's primary summon before his death,” Shiro ceased looming and instead stood just in front of her so that she could sit up. Vita hadn't known who Madara's mother was or that his brother had summons – or a summon, to be more accurate – and Ayame was soaking up as much of the information as she could. She was going to have to reread the journals and hide them again.</p>
<p>She was now so very thankful that she <i>hadn’t </i>called Hizashi-sensei and Shikaku.</p>
<p>“As his great-niece, I expect you to do his blood proud and pass my test. Succeed and you shall meet with Mineko-sama at the Neko-ka no Yama, Mount Gorogoro.” That name was – “Fail and I have the authority to destroy the contract and to ensure you never sign another.” He either threatened to kill her or to rip off her hands – she didn’t like either option.</p>
<p>“What –” She hadn’t thought this through very well but she was here now and a summon would only help. “What is your test?” When she stood up to say as much, she was eye-level with Shiro's chest and feeling incredibly dizzy from the movement. She had never felt more like prey – save for whenever she was in the same area Shimura Danzō was.</p>
<p>Shiro lowered his head so that he could maintain eye-contact much easier than when he was looking down on her. “You know my summoner and his mother.”</p>
<p>“I know of them, but I’m afraid they were gone before my time.” The ‘obviously’ went unsaid.</p>
<p>“They had completed the same task when they first made contact, I expect you to do the same.” Shiro rose to his full –<i> and very impressive </i>– height before looking around the room. “It is relatively simple, when explained, but more challenging than you think.”</p>
<p>“What is your test?” She asked again.</p>
<p>“You are to catch me.” His gaze fell on her. “With your chakra levels, this should be no problem.” Her chakra was gone and she was running on fumes and he knew that since she had passed out just minutes earlier. “The restriction is that I will stay within this home.” His muzzle moved, as if in a smile, which was <i>weird</i>, but he turned his head towards the door next. “You can use everything at hand, but you cannot ask for help. This is a task you must do alone.”</p>
<p>“My friend is asleep in my room,” How the Hell could she have forgotten about <i>Iruka</i>? “Can I close the door to it so that our test won’t wake him?” He needed the sleep, the bags under his eyes worried her.</p>
<p>Shiro bobbed his head. “I will give you five minutes to do what you must and return before the test shall start. I will not venture into your room, so long as your room is the only one closed off. Your time starts now.” Ayame took a moment to steady herself when she moved towards the door too fast, then shuffled into the hallway and into her room.</p>
<p>Shiro had said she could use anything – she nearly ripped her pajamas when taking them off and pulled on a set of her training gear. The mesh underarmor was left out, it would have weighed her down, and she grabbed her lightest tank and shorts to yank on while making sure Iruka was still asleep. Her holster went on her thigh next and her pouched belt – <i>it wasn’t a <b>fanny pack</b>, the pouch was at the small of her back, thank you very much</i> – went on after; holding her tank and shorts firmly in place with how she tightened it.</p>
<p>She had wasted too much time.</p>
<p>She firmly locked the front door and made certain that all the curtains were closed before she turned around and found herself face-to-face with Shiro – or face-to-chest, as it was, because of how he was looming over her again. It must be a favorite thing of his to do. “You have two hours to catch me.” It was all he said before the lights went out.</p>
<p><i>Fuck. </i>Her Sharingan bloomed to life in her eyes and she felt like crying because of the pull on her coils – something she <i>really </i>shouldn’t have done. Ayame just knew she was going to end up with chakra exhaustion by morning, if she didn't have it already. The Sharingan did not grant her night vision, she doubted it worked like that for anyone, but it was able to pick up small details and patterns and differences in what she was able to see and – </p>
<p>There.</p>
<p>She had to move fast and she had to be flexible and – Shiro was much more used to this than she was. Training tips from Maito Gai had made her fast but not fast enough.</p>
<p>Turning a corner, she had reached out for the blurring shadow and – gone. Dropping down from the top of the doorway, hoping to be able to – no. Ricocheting off of the fridge to get him from in front – twists and turns and bends. Nothing.</p>
<p>She didn’t know how long it had been since the start, it could have passed so long ago and she just didn't notice – <i>she was an idiot</i>. Her Sharingan had to be turned off a while ago, her eyes having adjusted enough in the dark that she could go on without needing it completely. But it left her susceptible to genjutsu.</p>
<p>She just hadn’t thought a summon capable of weaving one.</p>
<p>“<i>Kai.</i>” The lights were on, her hand wrapped around the legs of a  dining chair and not a back leg, and Shiro was lounging on the couch. Her eyes met his as her Sharingan swirled to life – then spiraled into the Mangekyō. She phased right through the chair and lunged at him.</p>
<p>“You only have a few minutes left.” Shiro wasn’t even making it sound difficult, twisting just out of her reach and darting around her towards the kitchen again.</p>
<p>She wasn’t going to last much longer, either. But Vita recalled an ability that Obi-nii was known for, an ability that would have been useful hours ago if she hadn’t been exhausted and chakra-depleted and – </p>
<p>“<i>Kamui,</i>” The warped portal swallowed Shiro before he could stop in time to escape and Ayame stared at the miniature black hole – since that is what it looked like – as the jaguar solidified in front of her. The tight grip she had on his paw said enough.</p>
<p>She passed.</p>
<p>His tail flicked out and smacked her arm a little too roughly to just be an accident. “The Felidae Summoning Contract is an ancient one, one discovered by accident during an attempt to contact the Tiger Summons specifically.” Shiro tugged his paw away from her and retook his place on the couch. “Uchiha Rina is the first to sign the contract and did, in fact, get the Tiger she was after, even if she had more options to choose from.”</p>
<p>Tiger, jaguar – What<i> was</i> the Felidae Summoning?</p>
<p>“There was a clan my summoner ran into once that had neko-nin,” Shiro huffed and lifted a paw as if to wave the subject off. “The Felidae are far bigger and superior to the tiny cats that clan incorporated into their fighting styles.” Oh… Alright then. There was obviously some bad blood between them all, from what she could see, but she didn’t ask about it. She almost didn’t want to know with how huffy he was about it.</p>
<p>She hoped a little that her summon wasn’t the same way.</p>
<p>“Mineko-sama shall see you now.” And then she was yanked off her feet and gone from home in a pop. A lush jungle greeted her next, with cliff-like edges from where she could see and a burbling brook that ran just over the top of the rocky surface she was standing on. The jungle was eased around her, towering trees obviously not native to Konoha surrounded her except for in one spot, clearing away to reveal a stone path – a mountain path – a cliff's edge and a looming creature before it.</p>
<p>Did all of the summons here<i> loom</i>?</p>
<p>It made sense that this one did, though, tall as they were. They could have reached the top of the Hokage Monument in Konoha, easily. They were lying down and nearly glowing under the high moon present. Opaque orange on stark white, it was lying down, paws stretched out in front, and had bright aquamarine eyes locked onto her the moment she appeared.</p>
<p>“You have passed the test, then.”</p>
<p>And they were a girl?</p>
<p>“She has, Mineko-sama. May I introduce Uchiha Ayame.” Shiro looped around her, stalking towards the inverted-colored tiger and her broad body. Big – very big. “Great-granddaughter to Uchiha Rina – Great-niece to Uchiha Izuna.” And she knew why it was important to add those tidbits into the introduction. The two before her were practically family.</p>
<p>“What are you looking for?”</p>
<p>“What do you mean?”</p>
<p>Mineko rose to her full height before languidly walking to the side; Ayame had to hurry and follow when Mineko disappeared from her eyes because of the jungle still surrounding her. Shiro kept behind her, once she did. “The Felidae Summoning Contract has many different breeds within its reach. Those that wish for strength get a bigger breed capable of pinning a man under their weight alone – Those that wish for stealth and strength get a species capable of blending into most surroundings and are able to pull a man into a tree with their jaws around his neck alone.” Well, that explained how her relatives got their summons.</p>
<p>“I shall ask again, what are you looking for?” <i>In a summon</i>, she finally understood.</p>
<p>“I want family,” Honesty hadn’t let her down, yet, so she told them why she was there. “I am alone now, my family gone even if my clan is still around me. My brother,” <i>Obi-nii – </i>“Is more than likely beyond my reach. And my grandmother is dead from heartbreak.” Heart attack but all the same.</p>
<p>“I am sorry for your loss.” Mineko's voice was a low rumbling murmur then and Ayame knew she understood the pain. “I shall ask a different question, then. What do you want to gain from your shinobi life? Power? Stealth? Adaptability?”</p>
<p>She didn’t even need to think about it. “Speed.” She thought of Iruka, activating a seal and her not being fast enough to stop him – She thought of Obi-nii, being continents away and wondered at how close she could have gotten to him if she was fast enough to dodge Kushina – if she had known he was in trouble – “I want to get faster – fast enough to keep my precious people out of trouble and safe.”</p>
<p>Mineko stared down at her, pupils large and round instead of slits. “There is one species here that fits that well.” Lying down again, Mineko reached out one long paw and eased her closer. “It was a pleasure to hear of you and to have met you, Ayame-chan. Rina would have been proud of you for passing the test and signing the contract.”</p>
<p>Shiro's muzzle bumped against the back of her neck in a nuzzle. “I shall see to her return home.”</p>
<p>“Farewell Ayame-chan. I shall send you your partner.”</p>
<p>There was another pop and her home was around her instead of the humidity of the jungle and the light air of the mountain; her living room was still a disaster and a wreck but she was more focused on Shiro as he leveled himself up and back on the couch just like before. He took up the whole space and then some. </p>
<p>“You shall name him and train him yourself. He is yours now to do with as you see fit. Good luck to you.” Silvery-green held her ocean of ink before he bobbed his head in farewell. Then, with a soft popping noise and a small cloud of smoke, Shiro was gone. He left black and silver hair all over the beige couch, and a small ball of gold and black.</p>
<p>It was a kitten, a cub. A ball of fuzz and sleepy green-gold-blue eyes – blue eyes meant still young, right? – and the cub slowly unfurled itself with a sleepiness that reminded her that it was still late at night – extremely early in the morning? It was still dark outside, regardless.</p>
<p>“I've been summoned?” It was soft, a boy if she recalled the gender pronouns Shiro used, but a little squeaky in the way of both small animals and children. She forgets that she’s considered a child still. “Are you my summoner?”</p>
<p>“My name is Uchiha Ayame.” She knelt down in front of the couch, keeping eye contact and slow blinking when she did – that was a cat trust thing she recalled from Before. “And you are?”</p>
<p>“You haven’t named me yet,” The cub stood, legs wobbling a little since the couch wasn’t as firm as the ground, and slow blinked right back at her.</p>
<p>Shiro did say that he was her responsibility, didn't he?</p>
<p>There were all manners of thing she could call him, the list bleeding through her muddled thoughts with a single-minded focus. There was <i>Loki</i>, which was heavily considered – There was <i>James</i>, which was discarded swiftly – There was – </p>
<p>“Leif.” <i>Scandinavian; meaning heir. </i>Vita Havard had always loved those old-sounding Scandinavian names and Ayame liked this one. It sounded close enough to leaf that she said it aloud.</p>
<p>“Is that my name?”</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>He bobbed his head in return, black tear-stained markings that looked childish against his fluff standing out starkly against the gold and beige coloring of his coat. His eyes – ocean green and molten gold and robin's egg blue – took in the living room around him, from the scratches on the floor to the knocked over lamps; both because of Shiro's test.</p>
<p>“Are you sleepy?”</p>
<p>“I was asleep before being summoned.” Leif yawned, little canines flashing before they disappeared again.</p>
<p>Ayame stood up and held her arms out to him. “I’ll show you where my room is.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I promise I'm not dead. As an essentially working during the COVID-19 nonsense, and a manager to boot, I am very busy and very tired... But have a new chappy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was screaming that jolted her awake; Iruka's voice breaking through the haze of unconsciousness and having her upright in bed with a kunai in hand and Sharingan spinning wildly in her eyes regardless of the drag against her coils that ached. <i>She was going to – </i></p>
<p>No one was here.</p>
<p>“Iruka, what –”</p>
<p>“<i>Look out!</i>” Iruka bodily slamming into her was nothing new, he had been doing so for years, but he managed to knock her back and off the bed with his weight and velocity alone. There was a sharp yowl before she caught sight of Leif pouncing onto the bed, where she had just been, and paw at the side as if to reach for her. “Get back!” Iruka kicked out and up and missed Leif but the situation finally clicked for her.</p>
<p>She grabbed Iruka's ankle and tugged it back. “Wait.” She forgot about Iruka not knowing about her new summon, since he had been asleep when they both went to bed. “He's my summon.” She was feeling very, very, stupid because of having forgotten all about introducing them to one another. “Leif, this is Umino Iruka. He’s my best friend.” For so long, he was her <i>only</i> friend.</p>
<p>Leif flattened himself down onto his belly and peered over the edge of the bed, gaze flickering between her and Iruka sharply in thin slits. Iruka, however, was staring at her with wide eyes and an open mouth. “He's <i>what</i>?” He grabbed her shoulders. “When did you – Where did you – <i>How did you even get a summon?</i>”</p>
<p>“I found my great-grandmother's summoning scroll in Obaa-san's closet last night.” She answered two of his questions right there. She eased his hands loose from her shirt and opened her arms for Leif to join them on the floor. Iruka shifted behind her when the cheetah cub did. “I think I need to sleep some more – summoning him left my chakra coils empty.”</p>
<p>“Why would you use chakra? <i>You just got out of the hospital!</i>”</p>
<p>She didn’t want to tell him that he was ninety percent of her impulse control now.</p>
<p>Vita Havard had been a cautious but impulsive person – and Ayame was now feeling every emotion Vita would have, even if she could partially ignore it.</p>
<p>“I –” She also didn’t want to tell him that she had been lonely, even with Iruka being right there with her. Iruka would end up going home at some point and she would still be here, in her <i>quiet-so-very-quiet</i> home, and she would not ask him to stay with her. He deserved every moment he had with his family because she – Vita –<i> knew </i>– “I wasn’t thinking.” And that was partially true.</p>
<p>Not thinking but over-thinking at the same time.</p>
<p>He lost the winds in his sails, as the saying went, and went slack as he eased back into a sitting position. “OK.” He nodded and twitched his gaze to Leif, who kept quiet as they talked, before letting his eyes stay on her. “That's OK.”</p>
<p>She was so glad he understood.</p>
<p>“You care deeply for my summoner.” Leif was more awake now than he had been when they first met, but his voice still startled Iruka into a jolt. “And so long as she cares the same for you, we shall get along fine.” There looked to be more gold than usual in his eyes right then but she wasn’t sure – this being only the beginning of their partnership.</p>
<p>“He talks?”</p>
<p>“Most summons do,” At least Leif hadn’t sounded condescending when he said it, but more like he was stating a fact that needed to be told. Ayame was just glad they were trying to get along. But she knew Iruka – has known him nearly her whole life now – and even as Vita – and the life she lived Before – she knew he could make friends with anyone if he wanted to.</p>
<p>Not as well as Naruto did, but –</p>
<p>
  <b>Fuck.</b>
</p>
<p>“I think breakfast sounds good.” Grief was clouding her gaze and shrouding her thoughts and she was furious with herself over it because she was being <i>so stupid</i>. Obi-nii wasn’t dead – <i>she knew he wasn’t dead thanks to her memories as Vita</i> – and she had so much future now to plan for. Had <i>started to </i>plan for before Uchiha depression –<i> she thinks it was a trait every Uchiha carried </i>– reared its head and shut down her thinking and rationalizing.</p>
<p>Her two personalities were clashing – <i>Vita and Ayame; Ayame and Vita</i> – and the Uchiha blood almost won out.</p>
<p>Vita played too many games and read too many books, and didn’t like being around people much, but she had a terrible protective streak in her that was carried along with her soul.</p>
<p>Now she – <i>with both memories behind her lids </i>– had to plan.</p>
<p>“Eh? Breakfast?” It was like Iruka had forgotten what was going on and what time of day it was – and that he had just woken up – before it seemed to visually click. “You want me to make something for you? Okaa-chan let’s me help with breakfast when she doesn’t have any missions.”</p>
<p>She didn’t know anything about Iruka's family except that he lost – <i>will lose</i> – both of them during the Kyūbi Attack when Naruto's born. And now she was going to do everything she could to keep them alive too. Iruka did not deserve that life – not with his gentle heart and kind soul. She wanted him to keep his sunshine smile for as long as she could stand.</p>
<p>“It’s fine,” She was tired – <i>so fucking tired it was like her eye lids and very bones had weights on them</i> – but Vita's memories came with more than just future events and a life lived somewhere far away and years of knowledge. She Remembered recipes and how much she loved to cook.</p>
<p>She Remembered how much she baked when she got stressed and cooked on holidays and just-because occasions.</p>
<p>She Remembered breakfast being her favorite meal of the day.</p>
<p>“Eh?”</p>
<p>“I want to try something.”</p>
<p>“Are you sure?”</p>
<p>“Pretty sure,” She tried for a smile – she didn’t think she smiled enough when compared to her life as Vita – and must have done alright because Iruka let her leave with only a little furrow between his brows. “You still like eggs?” It was barely a question with how well she knew him.</p>
<p>Iruka went about tidying up her living room when she explained that the test was to catch one of the older summons in a parody of Tag; Leif amusing himself with knocking around a ball of yarn from Obaa-san's mending supplies. Ayame started working on breakfast – the recipe for quiche floating through her thoughts. She Remembered her sister loving the recipe so much –</p>
<p>Well…</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“Ayame-chan?” The door was opening before she could shout a greeting – <i>not that she would have</i> – and Iruka froze mid-bite when Mikoto was found standing in the doorway without her usual smile fixed in place. “And Iruka-kun as well.” Her head started to tilt, much like a curious animal would, but she caught herself and only stared more intensely as her eyes landed on Leif. “And a summon.”</p>
<p>“Yes, Mikoto-sama,” Ayame didn’t stand up to greet her as she normally would have, their last time speaking to one another had not ended well, by her standards, and she <i>had </i>just barged into her house. “His name is Leif.” She did gesture towards him, though, since she wasn’t going to be that overly rude to her clan's matriarch.</p>
<p>“How clever.” Mikoto let her eyes lower to halfway before a smile appeared. “Are you feeling better?”</p>
<p>“Well enough to leave the hospital.”</p>
<p>“That’s good.”</p>
<p>Iruka was looking between them both, nervousness clear in his shifty eyes and fidgeting body and full cheeks even though he should have swallowed a while ago. Leif, for his part, was ignoring the matriarch in a way that Ayame wished she could, keeping his head ducked low and licking his plate clean of eggs without giving the woman an extra glance.</p>
<p>Ayame adored that.</p>
<p>“I thought to help you with Shizuka-san’s things.”</p>
<p>“That’s alright – I’m almost done.”</p>
<p>Obaa-san was a private person for a<i> reason</i>. Ayame wasn’t going to let anyone else put their hands all over her things. There was a pain in her chest at the thought of Obaa-san being gone. And the reminder of what all she had already found in the room made her want to lock all her doors and windows. Mikoto's smile twitched and Ayame knew she wasn’t supposed to see it.</p>
<p>Not the expression breaking or Obaa-san's personal things.</p>
<p>“Are you sure? I don’t think you should be moving around in your condition.”</p>
<p>“I did most of the heavier lifting last night when I couldn’t sleep so I should be fine.” She was not letting her in. “Is Itachi-sama at the Academy?” She didn’t think he was but she wanted this subject done – and Itachi's absence provided the perfect opportunity. “He is a little young, isn’t he?”</p>
<p>The genius of the Uchiha Clan would be fast-tracked to success and bloodier missions and assassinations and a bleak career in ANBU and she didn’t want him going down that hellish spiral of emotional depression and existential panic. Itachi deserved a chance at happiness, and she was going to try her damnedest to give it to him.</p>
<p>Mikoto’s smile shifted at the mention of her son, but Ayame couldn’t figure out if it was with pride or fondness. “He is with Shinjiro-kun. I had wanted my hands free to help, but I suppose that is no longer needed.” He wasn’t in the Academy yet, which was good, but it had her on edge.</p>
<p>Had he not been admitted young and advanced quickly?</p>
<p>
  <i>Did she still have time?</i>
</p>
<p>“Thank you for your consideration, Mikoto-sama, but I will be alright for now.” A peace offering, a hint at possible future assistance, and she let Mikoto think what she wanted over it. “Give my hellos to both Shinjiro-sensei and Itachi-sama, please.” It was the nicest way to tell her to leave that she could think of.</p>
<p>Mikoto's smile twitched again and she nodded her head some. “I will do so. Have a good morning.” And then she was gone.</p>
<p>Iruka was staring at her then. “Is she your mother?” It was Leif that asked the question, although Iruka's expression turned more panicky as he struggled to swallow down his food. She doubted it still tasted good after chewing it for so long – it wasn’t gum.</p>
<p>“Uchiha Mikoto; she is the matriarch of the Uchiha Clan and is married to the clan head.”</p>
<p>Leif cocked his head to the side and Ayame suddenly understood his confusion. “No, she is not my mother.” He knew her family too… how deeply tied were the Felidae Summons with her family history? It was a question for another time.</p>
<p>“What just happened?”</p>
<p>“Has Ikkaku-san taught you how to make storage scrolls?” Ayame would prefer not to talk about what just happened really. “I could use the help with those since Hizashi-sensei hasn’t taught us yet.”</p>
<p>It took a few moments but eventually he nodded a bit numbly.</p>
<p>“Let’s finish breakfast first, then I can show you what I need help with.”</p>
<p>“Why didn’t you let Mikoto-sama help then?”</p>
<p>“Obaa-san doesn’t like people going through her things. And you would just be helping me seal it and not trying to see what it is. Mikoto-sama would.” It should probably upset her that she would even try to do so sneakily. “They’re old family scrolls and Obaa-san's journals. She doesn’t need to read them.”</p>
<p>One day, she’d tell him – just not now. Not when everything was still fresh.</p>
<p>“I’m going to lay down.” Leif leaned out of his chair and left the room, not even bothering to say anything more. There was something that made her wonder when he tilted his head towards her for that one moment…</p>
<p>Vita didn’t know anything about being super sneaky or ninja-spy worthy but Ayame did and it was sticking out.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“Did you have a good nap?” Ayame and Iruka found Leif lying on Obaa-san's bed once they finished cleaning up the kitchen, his small fuzzy form not taking up much space but standing out against the dark bedsheets.</p>
<p>Leif sniffed before rubbing a paw across his muzzle. “There was a fly buzzing around that kept me awake for a while, but it's gone now.” She could read between the lines just as easily as Iruka could – Mikoto had been nearby and only left because he was there.</p>
<p>Ayame grabbed the journals and stacked them neatly in one place. “Could you seal these together in one while I get her clothes ready?” It would give her enough time to glance through the storage scrolls and see what was in them. Iruka went back to her room for the supplies needed and she opened the first scroll her hands landed on.</p>
<p>Weapons – katana and tanto blades and fans with reinforced and sturdy materials and fans with blades and – </p>
<p>Was that a whip? With a blade on the end? Did she read that description correctly?</p>
<p>Interesting.</p>
<p>The next one had armor from the beginning of Konoha, the armor that every shinobi wore to battle and on missions during the first two wars, the same armor that most of the older generation still wore. It was also interesting because there were three sets of armor, one for women and two for men. She didn’t think they were Madara's but she wasn’t going to look into it too much right then.</p>
<p>She had three more to go through.</p>
<p>One was full of her mother's things – Uchiha Tsubaki – from clothes to armor to books she apparently cherished that Obaa-san couldn’t bear to look at anymore. Ayame heard Iruka behind her and left him be. Another was her father's – Uchiha Takahiro – and was much the same, though with more clothing and items listed under another name she didn’t recognize. Not Madara either.</p>
<p>The last one gave her pause, eyes skimming its contents quickly, before she set it with the rest, determined not to think too much of it – even though she really should have.</p>
<p>“Anything else?” Iruka had already done as she asked and had already started the next part of the seal. Ayame set the scrolls back into a neat pile beside Leif and went through Obaa-san's dresser. Kimono and yukata were sealed, along with any of her clan-marked robes, and Ayame added the quilt from the end of the bed too. Obaa-san had loved that ugly thing.</p>
<p>“I’ll put them back in the closet.” Gathering the scrolls into her arms, after the ink dried, Ayame shot Iruka a smile, tired but determined not to make him worry. “Meet you in the living room?” He needed to put back the ink well and her loose blank scrolls and she would rather not worry about someone using him to get to Obaa-san's stuff – like Mikoto.</p>
<p>Her opinion of her was so different than it had been once before – as both Vita and Ayame.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“I’m just going to see Shikaku,” They were standing at an intersection, Iruka living down one path and the Nara Clan Compound in the other direction. “You should go tell your parents where you’ve been. They’re probably worried.” She loved that he refused to let go of her hand either.</p>
<p>Iruka's gaze flickered between both of her eyes and then around the area they were in. “You could always come with me.”</p>
<p>“I’m going to see Rin when I’m done.” She wasn’t going to let her beat herself up over this – “And maybe see what the rest of Minato-san's team is doing.” She didn’t say Obi-nii's team because it was his when he was there <i>and he wasn’t there </i>– </p>
<p>“Are you sure?”</p>
<p>She wasn’t but she knew there were things that needed to be done. “I’ll be OK,” Not perfect but better – “I’ll see you tomorrow at training.” She didn’t want to be alone – Not because of Danzō – but she figured he needed to be home. He needed his parents – </p>
<p>“You want me to come over? They won't mind if I stay another night.”</p>
<p>“I’m gonna ask if I can stay with Shikaku tonight.” She hadn’t been planning on admitting that but she was all the same. And she really hoped that he was going to let her. Clans be damned, she wanted to be with Shikaku right then. He was the closest thing to family she had, blood notwithstanding. “I’ll be OK.”</p>
<p>Eventually.</p>
<p>Iruka left, though dragged his feet when he did, and Ayame swore to do something for him as soon as she could. He stayed when he didn’t have to.</p>
<p>The guards let her in without a fuss, not even bothering to direct her towards their clan head as she knew the way there by heart. He was standing on the porch when she got close. “Wanna play a round?” She nodded, needing the distraction and the nearness and time to think <i>about what she was going to do – </i></p>
<p>“Shikaku-san?” Black hair and brown eyes, she faintly registered who she was – <i>with Vita's memories</i> – before Shikaku pulled her inside and kept her by his side. “Who is this?”</p>
<p>“Ayame, this is Yoshino-san.” He kept the greeting simple. “Yoshino-san, I’ve told you about Ayame.” He hadn’t done the same in reverse but Ayame understood why. She was looking at Shikamaru's mother. “She’s here for a game of shogi.” There was so much she had to think about.</p>
<p>The match started as it normally did, Ayame sitting across from Shikaku on the veranda. The difference was Yoshino bringing them tea and tiny sandwiches. She appreciated it – though she also was thankful when Shikaku made a motion she wasn’t supposed to see that asked her to leave. She needed to talk to him, no subject in particular.</p>
<p>Talking to Shikaku was different from talking to Obi-nii or Iruka. Obi-nii was always talking about how he was going to be Hokage and she was going to be his ANBU Commander and right-hand and they <i>were going to be the greatest shinobi ever </i>– Iruka was of a similar track, talking about training and missions and how they would get through them together. Shikaku was the only one that knew she hadn’t wanted to be a kunoichi.</p>
<p>The words filling the space between them was nice – he asked her about Leif and she told him and he only shook his head with a little lazy grin – and not heavy and the atmosphere was kept light – the tea was nice and Yoshino appeared once more to take the trays away. Were they not married yet?</p>
<p>“Can we stay here tonight?” Her and Leif, they were a pair together now, where one went so did the other, and he asked questions of the game and learned what pieces moved where and which one was higher than the other. They both lost, but it was his learning experience.</p>
<p>Shikaku moved his piece and leaned back to look at her, lazy gaze traveling between her and Leif. “I’ll ask Naoya-kun to join us.” She didn’t understand for a moment, then she did. It wouldn't look right if she was staying with the clan head by herself, whether Yoshino would have been there or not wasn’t relevant right then; with Naoya there, he would act as a buffer against a majority of whatever damaging rumors would have followed. It didn’t matter that she’s known him nearly all her life.</p>
<p>Politics were irritating.</p>
<p>She excused herself to go see Team Minato – something his eyes glinted at – and said she would come back later with a change of clothes. She may have copied Iruka's storage seal with her Sharingan, briefly letting her eyes swirl red when he was sealing the last of Obaa-san's things. Putting it to practice would have to be done in secret though. </p>
<p>Her eyes knew the motions and what it would look like when finished but her hands had never done such before.</p>
<p>No one needed to know that either.</p>
<p>The walk to Ichiraku – and didn’t that just make her want to laugh when memories of Vita flooded forth – was casual but she kept her eyes on the road and not on the feel of people around her. High chakra signatures would flicker overhead or brush against her if she didn’t move quick enough to avoid them and civilians were a big mass of faintly humming chakra.</p>
<p>Vita knew what she was, or had an idea – Ayame was going to keep her mouth shut.</p>
<p>Kakashi entered her senses first – storm clouds rolling overhead with the taste of ozone on her tongue – and then Rin registered next – overturned earth in the palm of her hand and the scent of eucalyptus in her nose – and Ayame had to be quick before one or both of them ducked her. She saw Minato-san and would deal with him later.</p>
<p>Ayame watched shoulders tighten and hunch before she ever spoke. “Hello Rin – Hello Kakashi-san.” And she sat on the other side of Rin and hoped she could trust Minato to keep Kakashi in place so she could talk. She could already see muscles bunching in preparation of fleeing. “Can I talk to you?” It was directed at the group entirely but her eyes caught Kakashi's and she waited.</p>
<p>Waited on the self-loathing to appear – the agony and disappointment – Waited on him to run or to decide to stay. He didn’t relax but he didn’t run off. He lowered his head and his eyes and she had enough. “I don’t blame you for what happened.” She didn't, not really, because with age came experience and maturity – none of them were ready to lead on their own. They were still pre-teens, why would they? The village was foolish for make them higher ranks when they weren't ready. “I blame the war and the people that decided it. I blame the circumstances that keep people hating one another simply because of another telling them it must be so.”</p>
<p>
  <i>She blamed Obi-nii’s ‘death’ on Zetsu and Kaguya and Madara –</i>
</p>
<p>“Ayame – ”</p>
<p>“I don’t blame either one of you for what happened.” Her hands had tightened into fists in her lap and she hated this war so much. “I don’t want either one of you to blame yourselves for what happened either.” Kakashi’s downward spiral hit an all-time high after Obito's death, she knew, and she wanted to avoid that. He deserved so much more. “So… yeah.” She ran out of steam and wasn’t sure what else to say.</p>
<p>People were still meandering through the streets behind them and the chef – Teuchi – was still in his kitchen cooking but the whole team she was speaking to was quiet. “That’s all I wanted to say, before it went on too long and one of you blamed yourselves,” She didn’t look at Kakashi, keeping her eyes on the counter. “So, yeah, enjoy your lunch. I, um, guess I’ll see you all later.”</p>
<p>“Where are you going?” Minato – She still blamed him a little.</p>
<p>“Shikaku is having me over for dinner.” Which was, technically true. “So, I was going to finish cleaning up before I go.”</p>
<p>“We don’t want to return to a mess.” The whole team jerked to turn towards Leif and Ayame felt her lips twitch. Cute… “Shall we go?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” She hopped back down and stood behind them all next to Leif as they turned around to look at him – them now – better. “Good night everyone.” A polite bow and she left, Leif casually padding at her side.</p>
<p>“They are?”</p>
<p>“They are my brother's team.”</p>
<p>“Family then.”</p>
<p>She didn’t argue the point and so kept quiet. Together they went back to the Clan Compound and, from there, home. She waved to those she knew and bobbed her head in a polite greeting to those she didn't, taking care to not react when eyebrows rose when gazes landed on Leif. She was sure that the news of her having a summon would be all around the clan by the next day.</p>
<p>Home didn’t look different, even if it was still just as quiet as it was that morning, before Iruka got to yelling. Nothing was out of place and everything was exactly as she had left it.</p>
<p>Leif bristled a little and shot towards Obaa-san's room.</p>
<p>“Your matriarch was here.” They stood in the doorway, taking in the still closed curtains and closet door. “She was by the bed,” He stuck his nose up in the air and she could see it twitch a few times and wrinkle. “And then she moved here.” He pawed the closet open and sniffed around. “She looked around but didn’t find the scrolls.”</p>
<p>“Good.” She hadn’t thought that it would be Mikoto she would have troubles with, fully expecting all the issues to come from Fugaku. How odd – She didn’t understand why either.</p>
<p>Fugaku was in her good graces – Vita was amazed by it.</p>
<p>They didn’t bother rechecking the scrolls' location – if the trick door hadn’t been tampered with then it was fine – and Ayame made an attempt at sealing in the privacy of her room. The first one was a dud – she had used a single old sandal from her youth so no big loss there; just needed to use a drop more chakra – and the second one was useable, thankfully, so she unsealed the other sandal and began packing.</p>
<p>She packed like she would for a weekend trip, even though it was only a night, and made sure there was nothing in the fridge that would expire while she was gone. <i>The milk would be fine</i>, Vita made sure. Then they closed the doors and left.</p>
<p>Back to Shikaku.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Naoya was there when she returned, waiting at the gates for her. Leif perked up at the sight of a similarly sized person, she had explained who Naoya was before they arrived to avoid any verbal confusion, and bobbed his head in a greeting. Ayame did the same. “Welcome back,” Naoya's jaw popped as he yawned mid-sentence and a tear appeared in the corner of one eye. It was so normal of him – not like how everyone was treating her after <i>the Event</i> – that she felt her lips twitch into a smile.</p>
<p>They meandered back through the compound, stopping frequently so that he could speak to a member and introduce her to another, and once to take a bag of groceries from an 'aunt' who told him to pass them along to Shikaku and congratulate him. Maybe they were only engaged right then and not married yet – Shikaku and Yoshino – so there was time before a wedding. She kind of wanted to go if it was them…</p>
<p>“I thought you were going to get overnight clothes?” Naoya leaned her way to show he was talking to her, shoulders and hands knocking against each other, and she turned her head to answer. He was very close.</p>
<p>“I did.” Taking the scroll from her thigh holster, she wagged it between them before putting it back. “Have you learned any Fūinjutsu from Kushina-san yet?”</p>
<p>He clicked his tongue, the noise so at odds with his character that she blinked. <i>She really needed to start doing that more often.</i> “She said that she wants us to build our chakra reserves more.” And off he went, telling her <i>in as few words as possible </i>what all his team has been doing during training – and what the ‘mad woman’ had been making them do.</p>
<p>Neither one noticed that they had already reached Shikaku's house until he called them both to the veranda. Leif was already there, curled up and pressed against one of his thighs, and Ayame didn’t smirk – She swears she didn't. “Shogi before dinner?”</p>
<p>“Cloud watching after?” Naoya followed and Ayame felt so at home with them. The highlight had been her and Naoya working together, using broken handsigns under the table to communicate, against Shikaku. It took three hours, and they still lost. Shikaku looked unimaginably smug about it all too.</p>
<p>“Dinner?” Leif stretched out from her lap and into Naoya's and she absently pet the soft belly fur as they all heard Yoshino call for them. Excellently timed.</p>
<p>Dinner was sushi, to Leif's delight, and hers, she was surprised to note – Vita had an <i>unhealthy</i> dislike of sushi that apparently hadn’t carried over – and conversation was slow but pleasant. Yoshino had only just moved in and had been told about her because of her, Ayame's, frequent visits – and would love to get to know her better. <i>“Especially since his lazy habits didn’t rub off on you.”</i> Is what she had said, ignoring Shikaku's quiet groan and averted eyes and Naoya's not-so-quiet snicker to instead keep soft brown eyes on her.</p>
<p>The after-dinner-cloud-watching was nice, too, even if Shikaku got called back to the house an hour later by Yoshino. Naoya had actually fallen asleep – to be more accurate, he was in a <i>light doze</i> – at some point, but his head had lolled to the side and his arms had gone lax and pressed against her own. She relished each press of skin because she was real and alive and it was so warm.</p>
<p>Naoya was <i>unfairly</i> warm too.</p>
<p>Yoshino was the one to come out and get them not too long after, waiting until Ayame managed to get Naoya on his feet before leading the way back – glancing at the hands clasped together as Ayame tugged the drowsy Nara behind her since he was barely keeping his eyes open enough to navigate. Baths were had quietly, Naoya going with Shikaku and Ayame going with Yoshino – they didn’t talk much, just Yoshino asking if she had any hobbies and listening to her talk about cooking and what few pictures she used to draw for Obi-nii.</p>
<p>It was getting easier to talk about him, not because of thinking he was dead but because of knowing what he was going through and who he was around and <i>Obi-nii no, <b>don’t</b> –</i></p>
<p>“We have two guest rooms prepared,” Yoshino was helping her dry her hair, <i>which she didn’t need help with</i>, when she said as much. Thin fingers slipping between strands and tugging out knots easily, not at all like how Obi-nii used to. “And Shikaku and I will be at the end of the hall in case either one of you need us.”</p>
<p>It was nice and normal and her eyes were burning a little – and she reached back to tug at her hair when Yoshino stood to put the brush away. Obi-nii loved how long it was too. Beds were unraveled and bodies were pet on the head – She hugged both Shikaku and Naoya, with varying degrees of success in return – and everyone was in bed by eleven.</p>
<p>She was still awake at midnight – and it was encroaching on three-in-the-morning when she finally got up and went to the room across from her. She used to curl against Obi-nii when he was home – Iruka had stayed with her last night –</p>
<p>Naoya was asleep, limbs still where they were when he laid down, she was willing to bet, and she tossed her pillow down as Leif grumpily nudged him over. His questioning groan was silenced by her laying beside him. “<i>Ayame-chan?</i>”</p>
<p>“I couldn’t sleep.”</p>
<p>She pressed herself against his side, shoulders digging into one another and elbows knocking together and knees nudging, but Naoya shifted until he was comfortable –<i> ish</i> – and then leaned his head against hers. He was asleep not long after, their arms and legs in a tangled mess of limbs, with Leif curling into the space between their bellies on top of the blanket.</p>
<p>She woke up to Shikaku shaking her shoulder and asking her if she was going to training that day.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“<i>What is that?</i>” Rikuto was pointing and shouting and Ayame was holding a sleepy Leif in her arms – <i>Naoya was a restless sleeper, who knew</i> – and Iruka was leaning into her side to rub a hand over Leif's fuzzy head. Hizashi sighed as he rubbed his temple. “Where did you get it?”</p>
<p>“Ayame,” Stern tone to match the expression Hizashi was leveling down at her. “Summoning is very risky. You should never do it without someone,<i> like your sensei</i>, present.” She recalled what all she had learned from the summoning – and knew that, for her, being alone had been for the best. No telling what he would have thought to know that she was <i>Uchiha Madara's only granddaughter.</i></p>
<p>She wasn’t even sure how she felt about it either.</p>
<p>“It was Obaa-san's,” It was an answer and an explanation without being either and she was content to just let it be. She wanted to train – <i>which was unusual</i> – and she knew that Leif needed to be training with them. He was hers to mold and train as she saw fit – and she wanted him to be fast and deadly. She wanted him to reach others before she could – to be her quick blade in the dark and under the sun – to be –</p>
<p>“This is Rikuto,” She introduced him without honorifics, knowing there was little point in them with him since they would be together for years as a team. “And Hizashi-sensei. They are the rest of my team.”</p>
<p>“Nice to meet you.”</p>
<p>Rikuto was yelling again, something about her being unfair and how Hizashi-sensei was being unfair for not teaching the rest of them how to summon. Iruka was snickering – <i>and pointedly ignoring how that was his same reaction, to a degree </i>– and Hizashi was trying to quiet down the Senju without upsetting him even more.</p>
<p>Telling him that her summon had been a family-related didn’t seem to help.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Kushina caught her during training, and she meant that quite literally. They were running laps around the perimeter, for strength training although she thinks it was because of Rikuto's mouth again, when her senses caught the bright – <i>so very bright, <b>holy shit</b>, she thought even her senses were <b>dazed</b>, why hadn't she thought to consciously turn off her sensing, <b>why wasn’t she trying to cloak that?</b></i> – chakra suddenly rushing at her – <i>dandelions in the wind and a roaring ocean thrashing against cliffs and, was that salty <b>ramen broth</b>? That was a <b>thing</b>?</i> – and then her feet left the ground.</p>
<p>Kushina was squeezing her to her chest tightly, face buried in Ayame's severe ponytail – Shikaku had done it, to Yoshino's stunned disbelief – as she muttered words she couldn’t understand. Mostly due to the sudden lack of oxygen in her lungs.</p>
<p>Leif yowled and pounced in return.</p>
<p>“Fuck!” He caught her skin then – “What the –”</p>
<p>“Language, Kushina-san.”</p>
<p>“Sensei!”</p>
<p>Her teammates had come back for her, Hizashi had arrived to keep Kushina from lunging at Leif, and the Uzumaki team dragged themselves through the trees to join them. It was nice. Naoya bumped shoulders with her before leaning against her, head drooping to press against her neck.</p>
<p><i>Icky, gross, sweaty boy</i>; she didn’t shove him off.</p>
<p>Rikuto's narrow eyed look was given a raised brow in return.</p>
<p>“We should have another joint training!” Whatever they were talking about, Kushina had suddenly shouted out that last declaration and had all of their attention now – to Hizashi's growing sighs. “Minato should be here soon with his and I got with Jiro about their team and they should be –”</p>
<p>“You really should have checked with me first,”</p>
<p>“You weren’t home!”</p>
<p>“And when did you set all this up?”</p>
<p>“This morning!” She looked proud of herself for that, too, with her hands on her hips.</p>
<p>Hizashi couldn’t help another sigh then. “Our training begins in the mornings, <i>of course</i> I wasn’t home.” Leif was putting himself between Ayame and Kushina and she nudged him with her foot to gesture for him to calm down.</p>
<p>“Anyway!” Kushina grinned widely as she took over, ignoring Hizashi's remarks entirely. “We’re going to have three genin teams and one chūnin team, well sorta. There’s one chūnin and one new jōnin but yeah – We’re going to be training together today!”</p>
<p>She thought back to the teams announced and realized it was Manami and Ryota who were part of that team, with a Kanon Aki as their third teammate. She didn't know him – or their sensei – but she was certain that she would by the end of the day. Kushina had a way about her that Ayame was quickly beginning to understand that if you were in her orbit, it was better to just go along with certain things – or you would be dragged along regardless.</p>
<p>Minato showed up before they did, one hand on Kakashi's shoulder and the other steering Rin from its place on her back. Kakashi was a tightly drawn bow-string that looked ready to snap and bolt.</p>
<p>“Hello Rin – Hello Kakashi-san.” She always fell back on being polite, she knew she did, but it still took a bit of effort for her to find it in her to lift her eyes to some of the prettiest icy blues she had ever seen in either life and finish the greetings. “Hello Minato-san.” He wasn't 'Minato-sensei' to her because she wasn't apart of his team and he wasn't 'Minato' alone because she didn't care enough to let herself drop the honorific when speaking with him. She was still angry – still upset – and still blamed him for Obito, even if it was a little bit.</p>
<p>And the Hokage – and Zetsu – and Kaguya – and Madara –</p>
<p>“Hello Ayame-chan!” Minato smiled brightly after the greeting, whole face lighting up with those two simple words. She registered only then that she hadn't greeted him last time and largely ignored him. She nudged Leif again when he made to move between them. “And this is your summon, correct? I didn't get much of a chance to see him before! I didn't realize Hizashi has already started your team on summoning,” He let go of Rin but nudged Kakashi closer.</p>
<p>Forced interaction was never good but she was limited on what all she could – </p>
<p>They were the same rank now, weren't they? Minato and Kakashi, technically?</p>
<p>“Ayame did the summoning without sensei,” Rikuto sniffed, probably still miffed at her having one and Hizashi refusing to show him how to summon just yet. He said that he would teach them after they completed three C-Ranks successfully.</p>
<p>“All by yourself?” There was another gleam that entered his eyes, just like what had happened when she had expressed her interest in Fūinjutsu all those years ago – it seemed like another lifetime – and Ayame narrowed her eyes a little at it. It looked <i>calculating</i> and <i>scheming</i> and she would not stand for it. “That's quite the accomplishment.”</p>
<p>“Sorry!” Green hair and lighter green eyes swept out of the trees and landed in the gathering. The orange hoodie was a little much, but Obito loved orange – <i>Naruto loved orange</i> – and he had remained stealthy enough before revealing himself. She didn't mention it – he was doing fine. “We're not late, right?”</p>
<p>He must be Kanon Aki.</p>
<p>Ryota and Manami dropped down from the branches next – with Ryota going to Iruka and Manami joining her and Naoya. She looked down at the drowsy Nara with a little smirk that would have made any Uchiha proud and pat his <i>gross, icky, sweaty</i> head. She pouted as she wiped her hand off on her pants after, to his amusement. The next person to come through the trees didn't so much as land as they did fall from the upper branches, two massive blobs of fur on top of them with yips and yaps.</p>
<p>Dogs. She could practically feel the sneer coming off of Shiro from where she stood – and he was still on Mount Gorogoro. The dogs – they were<i> Inuzuka </i>dogs, of course – both perked up suddenly and whipped they heads towards – her.</p>
<p>Dogs and cats, of course.</p>
<p>Leif's hackles rose at the obvious interest the two hulking dogs were giving them but Ayame nudged him closer and said nothing. They were Konoha-nin, all of them, and no Inuzuka dog would attack a fellow Konoha-nin unless they turned traitor. She had nothing to worry about.</p>
<p>“How about some introductions!” Kushina apparently didn't think the same as she swept in and stood between the Inuzuka dogs and her with a clap of her hands and a menacing touch to her chakra.</p>
<p>Well, <i>more</i> menacing than it normally was when in a resting state.</p>
<p>“My name is Uzumaki Kushina, dattebane! And I'm the Jōnin-sensei in charge of Team Three.” She looked awfully proud of that – <i>as she should have been</i>. Her team worked exceptionally well together, even though they had never done so before graduation. “I like ramen and pranks - especially setting pranks with Fūinjutsu!” <i>She couldn't believe they were doing this.</i> “I hate chakra exercises and wasted food.” How she had <i>not</i> gotten together with a member of the Akimichi Clan would be a question for the ages. “My hobbies include cooking, Fūinjutsu, and scaring the pants off of my husband Minato!” She could help the pity she felt for the man right then. “And my dream is to be the next Hokage!”</p>
<p><i>Kami-Sama help them all</i>, she was a more extreme version of Naruto.</p>
<p>Ayame couldn't help what she did next, she swears she couldn't. “I am,” She turned to Minato, who lifted his hand from his face long enough to look down at her. “<i>So sorry.</i>” And she meant it from the very bottom of her heart and soul. The other sensei started cackling as Kushina began hollering, but she wasn't done. “I would extend the protection of the Uchiha Clan, but I'm afraid an empty couch is all I can offer you as a sanctuary for the time being.” The cackling and laughter grew – <i>she wasn't saying all this to be funny either </i>– and Minato's little smile turned into a grin.</p>
<p>She thinks she saw mirth in Kakashi's eye but she wasn't going to draw attention to it.</p>
<p>“Come now, Kushina-san,” Hizashi drew their attention to him next, ignoring the snickering and fuming going on. “Simple introductions and then you can tell us what all you had planned.” She pouted, still looking a little miffed, but did as requested.</p>
<p>
  <i>Today was going to be a long day.</i>
</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“Are most of your days going to be so... <i>fulfilling</i>?” Leif questioned as they sat crouched in the shade of a Hashirama tree, waiting on the rest of their temporary teammates to catch up.</p>
<p>“I want to say no, but I believe that is wishful thinking at this point.”</p>
<p>They had been chosen as the scout for the squad, someone to run ahead and look for traps and ambushes and alert the team of any before they blunder into them. The point of the exercise was to get Kakashi or Rin away from Minato before either of their sensei found them. A seek-and-find game, in a way, with a serious twist. The teams were decided at random, she knew because they drew lots, and they all had five minutes to get the lay of the land before the sensei would begin hunting them in earnest.</p>
<p>She had Rikuto and Ryota on her team, and she was already wishing for a different pair. The two did not get along <i>at all</i>. It was bad enough that all of the Jōnin that would be hunting them had something to do with tracking, but she was on a handicapped team simply because of the two not wanting to work with each other. Minato would not be so easy to fool – nor would Kakashi or Rin go along with being taken easily – so she had to plan for contingency after contingency because she doubted one plan existed that either would be amenable to.</p>
<p>She wished, not for the first time, she had been with Naoya and Iruka instead.</p>
<p>She had to plan their intense dislike into her plans, which amounted to shorter ideas and plans and –</p>
<p>“I told you she'd be here –”</p>
<p>“Shut your face, you stuck-up little –”</p>
<p>“If you two don't mind,” She wasn't going to listen to them argue <i>again</i>. “We should scout closer to where Minato-san has taken his students. Once our time is up, we won't have much time to observe before being ambushed repeatedly.” She figured that was what the sensei would do – because it was what she would do. “Ryota-kun, do you mind circling around from the southwest, the wind should carry their scents to you, if you use a bit of chakra, and you can figure out which set is the real deal.”</p>
<p>“What do you mean?” Rikuto really should have listened closer.</p>
<p>“Minato-san is an expert at <i>Fūinjutsu</i>.” She started, leaning over Leif so that she could sketch into the tree limb underneath quickly in a rough diagram that both her temporary teammates leaned close to look at. “He has beyond excellent chakra control, as a result, and is known as the Yellow Flash, due to his speed when Fūinjutsu is applied to his abilities.”</p>
<p>Ryota shifted closer to her, reaching over to graze his fingers across the sketch of Team Minato she had done. She very nearly added Obi-nii at the last moment. “So he'd be an expert at evading and fleeing a scene.”</p>
<p>“Yes.” At least one of them was keeping up. “He is heralded as a genius by several shinobi in the village and is, <i>without a doubt</i>, already planning out how to avoid losing a student and how to do so without leaving the area entirely and how to do all that while still giving all of us a fighting chance at victory.”</p>
<p>Rikuto snorted at the words but she wasn't worried about that. “It is almost guaranteed that he has created clones of himself and his team and have set them up in different areas in order to draw out each team and lead them on a wild goose chase.” It was, <i>again</i>, what she would have done. “He would be able to gauge each of our abilities without revealing any of his own and would be the smartest course of action simply because of him holding all the cards.”</p>
<p>“What's your plan then?” Ryota knocked shoulders with her as he got comfortable, watching her sketch out the last of her three drawings of Team Minato during her explanation.</p>
<p>She was unsurprised to hear him ask the question instead of Rikuto. But, now that she had them listening, <i>and quiet</i>, and she could really think about the situation and all of its merits and problems...</p>
<p>“We need Manami-chan.” <i>She could use her eyes...</i> “And we will need Iruka.”</p>
<p>“Is that even allowed?” She barely spared Rikuto a glance before her Sharingan flickered to life and she glanced around the surrounding area before flickering them back off.</p>
<p>Ayame hummed as she thought more on the plan. It could work. “There was never a mention of disallowing teams from cooperating with one another, as there was never a mention of only one team winning or losing. This was a training exercise and will be treated as such by every team present.” Which was very, very, true. “Konoha-nin always rely on one another whenever they fall into problems. They keep their backs to each other and lean on each other and <i>bleed</i> with each other. Having multiple teams work together towards a common goal sounds like a better idea than simply working separately and lowering the chances of each team's success.”</p>
<p>She hated how much she had to explain everything. She also hated how much time they had just wasted thinking up a plan – in her case – and arguing – in theirs.</p>
<p>“Ryota-kun – could you go find Iruka's team and bring them here. He is the most knowledgeable about Fūinjutsu out of all of us.” Ryota stayed long enough to nod in agreement before jumping back and away. “Rikuto – could you find Manami-chan? Her Byakugan could be used to see through any clones Minato-san has made and cut down on time spent chasing dead-ends.” He made a face and huffed but still turned and jumped off.</p>
<p>Ayame hated being the voice of reason.</p>
<p>She sent Leif ahead, to circle the little area of forest that practically leaked Minato's chakra – <i>a sunny day and a burbling brook and a wind howling in between trees</i> – and she knew he was in there, somewhere. Leif got the impression from her – <i>something she hadn't known was possible until she had flickered her Sharingan on and he caught sight of everything she did</i> – and had jumped off to try and narrow down the possible location, or <i>locations</i>, of Team Minato.</p>
<p>Apparently, she could share her Sharingan – <i>while it was activated</i> – with her summons.</p>
<p>Rikuto got back with Manami-chan and her team before Ryota did with Iruka's, so that proved to be a small problem. Manami did come with Naoya and Sora, however, and she had worked with both of them before and knew their abilities well enough – the only true wild cards were Kanon Aki –<i> he had been in Iruka's class before her graduation, so she didn't know him very well</i> – and Rikuto himself – <i>since he didn't really excel at anything beyond a few lackluster Academy-basics</i>. Neither of them had trained with her at Ground Zero – <i>which she wanted to laugh at the name of now that she knew</i> – so she had to plan very, very, carefully.</p>
<p>It was a training exercise, but it was also a test. <i>Everything was a test.</i></p>
<p>Naoya was sent to begin setting up traps along the western-most points of the forested area, following Leif, who returned only just before she was about to send him out alone. Manami was to wait until Iruka arrived to aid him in setting his own Fūinjutsu-based traps. Rikuto, who was a Senju through and through, knew a few earth-based ninjutsu to begin making pitfalls towards the south; prepping the area for when Iruka arrived. Everything would work out perfectly so long as she had both Iruka and Manami for the plan.</p>
<p>Their five minutes weren't up, but vastly drawing to a close, when Ayame felt the wind change and her senses light up – <i>dandelions and seawater and salt </i>– Kushina.</p>
<p>She was early.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“Rikuto!” She ducked and rolled out of the way of another wave of kunai thrown at her by Hizashi. “Take Leif and head towards the south gates!” 'Gates' was the term she had taken to using to tell them what direction to approach when using Minato and his team as the key. South was where he had made his pitfalls and Ayame needed some breathing room to finish out her plans. She was forced to move quickly. “Iruka will follow through!” <i>With the plan</i>, which would, hopefully, incapacitate at least one of the sensei for a little while, at least.</p>
<p>There were no guarantees right then.</p>
<p>One of Kushina's chakra chains shot through a tree and very narrowly missed looping around her ankle. The cackle the redhead was letting out said she was just playing with them – not even taking the event, that <i>she</i> had planned, seriously. <i>Rude.</i></p>
<p>Iruka stumbled into her and she rolled both of them out of the way and into a bush, flattening him underneath her when barking went over their heads. Leif was leading the dogs – and hopefully the Inuzuka sensei as well – away from the area. “Do you know any Fūinjutsu that can prevent a person from leaving an area?”</p>
<p>Iruka was panting, but nodded.</p>
<p>“South gates – Rikuto and Leif have already laid the ground work and you only need to put a lid on it.” He would understand what she meant, <i>she knew he would</i>, so she nudged him up and jumped forward to draw attention away from where he was sprinting off. Hizashi and Kushina were the only ones in the area, now, which meant that it was only her, Sora, Aki, Ryota, Kaiya, and Manami left to defend the others. “Manami-chan!” She could see her chakra impressions on a tree, with her Sharingan activated, and knew she was nearby. Close enough to hear her speaking. “The north and east gates need to be closed off – Can you make a space for Kaiya-san and Sora-san?” There wouldn't be much time, and they needed to move fast, fast enough that their plan wouldn't fall to pieces before it could finish.</p>
<p>“Consider it done!” She lunged at Hizashi at the same moment that Manami lunged for Kushina, Aki must have known something wind-based because the trees shook with the force of the gale sweeping through the area and keeping them from leaving. If they wanted, she's sure that they could have passed right through the whirlwind, but they tangled with the two of them regardless. Hizashi grabbed her ankle and swung her away from him, smacking her into Manami's side, but Ryota and Aki fell from the trees to back them up.</p>
<p>Kaiya and Sora had been told what to do, they knew just enough to accomplish their tasks.</p>
<p>Naoya was covering the west and most of the north – they would only need to worry about backing up the north and helping Iruka cover the east once he finished up in the south. Rikuto should be on his way back, once they take the Inuzuka out of play. Manami would need to block off some chakra points soon or they were going to be in trouble again.</p>
<p>Her plan relied on Iruka, Manami, and Naoya.</p>
<p>Her, and the others, would take care of the sensei before providing back up.</p>
<p>And that was only if they went easy on them, since it was supposed to be a learning experience.</p>
<p>She doubted it, though.</p>
<p>The cuts on her hands were ignored, even though they stung like Hell, and she had to figure out how to separate the two of them before they drew them out even further and exhausted more energy than they could spare. “Ryota-kun! On Hizashi-sensei! Aki-san!” His eyes flickered towards her just long enough for her to open her first twice – indicating <i>boom</i>. She found out about his explosive tags when he mentioned his family buying them from Ikkaku-san. He rolled away so that Ryota could take his place as Hizashi's opponent, using his bokken to counter the Hyūga-style Taijutsu he was using: the Gentle Fist Style.</p>
<p>Aki jumped away from Kushina just as Ayame and Manami lunged towards her, Manami using her own Hyūga-style to try and block the chakra points in her shoulders or chest – the chest was dangerous, but Kushina had enough chakra that it wouldn't be life-threatening. <i>She thinks</i> – she wasn't entirely certain on how the Kyūbi's chakra would effect her after a hit from a Hyūga member. She wasn't going to be able to stop and ask either. Kushina ducked and dodged and cackled like the 'mad woman' she was – and danced right into the spot where Aki unrolled the scroll he had containing half his inventory of explosive tags. Her eyes went wide before the first explosion sent her flying.</p>
<p>“Manami-chan! Home!” She was to aid Ryota with Hizashi, with Kushina temporarily not with them, while Ayame caught up with Leif. The pulse of her chakra would have normally alerted others to her presence, but everyone already knew where she was. She was looking for the other pulse of her chakra.</p>
<p>Leif's chakra was a mimicry of her own, to a degree, and she could find it nearby.</p>
<p>Thirty meters southeast of the target center – which was still stationary – and advancing on her location quickly. Rikuto arrived in time to aim a kick at a furious Kushina's head, which was not very good planning but she commended him for doing so automatically. Between him and Aki, Kushina would be occupied enough and Hizashi had Ryota and Manami sparring with him. Leif touched down beside her and they were gone, sprinting through the trees to where Iruka should have been – and ignoring the snarling and howls along the way.</p>
<p>There was <i>no way</i> they were winning – not three genin squads against their sensei. Ayame got low and fast and nearly ran over Iruka when she finally reached him. “Jiro-sensei is out – but I don't know how long the barrier is going to keep him down.”</p>
<p>“We had to pool our chakra together to strengthen it so we only have a few minutes, tops.” Sora was panting but standing, the drain on his coils couldn't have been a light thing. Kaiya was leaning against a tree but quickly joined them once Ayame looked around to take stock of the situation.</p>
<p>“Any word from Naoya?”</p>
<p>“He was keeping low; preparing Victory Lane.” <i>Victory Lane</i> was what they called the last stretch – something they hadn't done since she decided to start introducing training courses to Ground Zero and made them with Naoya. It was his way of working out new trap ideas and her way of getting some of the members more endurance training in without participating herself. Victory Lane was the final part of any of Naoya's trap paths and was filled to the brink of everything he could think of; if someone avoided one then another would trigger in the next step. She had already warned him that Minato was fast and could practically teleport from one spot to another because of his speed so he more than likely had his hands full with that.</p>
<p>Ayame turned to Iruka then. “Do you need to keep concentrating to keep the barrier up?”</p>
<p>“No – it'll stay until either Jiro-sensei breaks it somehow or the chakra powering it runs out.”</p>
<p>“Then it's all hands on deck – Manami-chan is needed in town and the others could use a hand playing keep-away.” Kaiya was wasted, using more of her chakra to fuel the barrier than Sora and Iruka combined, so was sent back to the pit to keep an eye on how long it would take before breaking; she was told to alert the front team the moment it looked close. Iruka and Sora were being sent to relieve Manami so that they – her and Manami both – could grab Naoya and start after the goal of the exercise: Team Minato.</p>
<p>Ayame kept her Sharingan lit and a hand on Leif's side, feeling each inhale he took to steady herself, before Manami arrived. She sent him to find Naoya when she did. “We don't have long. Kushina-sensei is starting to lose patience with the game after Aki-kun messed up her hair.” Thinking back to what all she remembered of Kushina, as Vita, she could understand that. She ignored it entirely – not commenting on how it was just hair since she knew its importance to her – and instead led them closer to the center. Naoya and Leif intercepted them twenty meters away.</p>
<p>Naoya looked a mess, a twig tangled in his hair tie and leaves sticking to his clothing; there were mud smears and dirt smudges all over his face and clothing both. His mouth was set in a line and his eyes were hard, though, so she knew it wasn't because he was fumbling around or trying to sleep in a tree again. “North and west are blocked, east too if Iruka-kun built the dam, so south is the only one left with the door open.” South wasn't clear, not by a long shot, but it was clear enough that they could go through without tripping a wire themselves and setting off a trap.</p>
<p>Manami led the way then, Naoya between them, with Ayame bringing up the rear beside Leif. Her Sharingan was reflected in his eyes, the tomoe near hidden against his green-gold-blue, and she needed to file away that curious fact to ask him about later – or ask Shiro if Leif didn't understand how it worked either. There were five Minato's when they finally reached the clearing he was resting in, along with four Kakashi's and four Rin's and Ayame wanted to punch him <i>really, really</i>, badly right then.</p>
<p>
  <i>The day was never going to end.</i>
</p>
<p>Each Minato suddenly picked up a student – three of them picking up one each – and jumped in the trees, running off without a word. “The Rin-san by herself is the real one.” She shoved Naoya's shoulder for him to go. “The Kakashi-san that went that way is the real one and,” Manami stopped and tilted her head some as if observing a detail. “The real Minato-sensei is behind us.”</p>
<p>“Get Kakashi-san, I'll cover you.” She had no fucking clue on how she was going to do that – he wasn't going to go as easy on her as he would have with the others. <i>He had known her too long.</i> Manami ducked under a kunai and sped off, trying to either catch up to the fleeing clones or lead them into one of the many traps surrounding the area. Ayame just had to keep Minato's attention long enough for her – and Naoya – to do so. “This will be a first.” She tilted her head, intercepting the shuriken thrown at her with her kunai; her thigh holster was awfully light thanks to trying to keep Hizashi at bay earlier.</p>
<p>“It will be!” Minato agreed quite cheerfully. “Kushina certainly wasn't expecting you to group together.”</p>
<p>“Konoha-nin never do anything alone –” It was a cheap shot, but she said it, moving just before his eyes widened at the meaning she put behind it. Leif was at her side and this was the best kind of training they would be able to get without actually going to an Inuzuka and asking for tips.</p>
<p>She could feel the loathing coming off of Shiro from there at the very thought.</p>
<p>He wasn't taking her seriously, which was good, but she needed to give the spar her all so that he would keep most – <i>all wasn't possible, not with a shinobi of his caliber</i> – of his attention on her. She just needed to feel both Naoya and Manami pulse their chakra twice to signal they caught their targets. It would not be an easy thing to do since Minato would know the moment any of his clones popped – and she had no doubt that they were all his.</p>
<p>“Using Manami-chan was a smart move –” Minato was apparently one of those shinobi that talked while he fought. Which was confusing as Hell considering how fast he was at finishing fights. Maybe it didn't count because it wasn't to the death. “And Iruka-kun with the Fūinjutsu! I had no idea he was already at that level!”</p>
<p>“Iruka –” She, however, was not a talker while she was fighting. She didn't really see the point of it unless one was doing so during a demonstration. “Has been learning –” She grunted with the force of her kick, the same one that Minato caught against his arm and directed away to take the brunt of the hit off him. “Fūinjutsu since we were in the Academy.” They were squaring off again, Leif separating from her to stalk around him in the opposite direction. “Manami-chan being a Hyūga was the most logic decision. It was nearly expected of you to make clones to make finding your team more difficult.”</p>
<p>She very nearly asked him why he didn't leave his team with a clone before – <b><i>Before Obi-nii –</i></b></p>
<p>They were moving again, her and Leif in near perfect sync because of their shared Sharingan, and Leif's claws almost caught his arm if he hadn't used that damn Hiraishin to go back to where he had began. Not a second later, she felt Naoya pulse his chakra twice. That was one member of Team Minato...</p>
<p>“You had this all planned out very well, didn't you?” Minato's smile turned teasing for a moment before she turned and bolted, towards where she felt Manami's chakra. “Just how well I wonder?” He was fucking with her, dammit! <i>Smug bastard</i> – she was going to win this just because of that.</p>
<p>She knew that was the Uchiha blood talking, but she was alright with it just then.</p>
<p>She aimed a kick at his back just as she caught sight of Manami kicking off a tree, slashing at the clone-version of Rin to make her pop. There were now two Minato's, one of which was a clone, and a very real Kakashi, who, while tied up like a hostage, would still put up a fight to keep them from taking him. She wondered, for the briefest of moments, if Naoya was doing alright on his own with Rin.</p>
<p>She had to time them – if they took too long then they ran the risk of having the others get pulled into their fight. They were already outclassed all around, no need to make it worse.</p>
<p>“We're going to need Naoya.” He set up Victory Lane, so he knew where all the traps were located – him having Rin made things a little complicated. “Clones and swap?”</p>
<p>“Are you planning in front of me?”</p>
<p>“<i>Try and stop us –</i>” It was, frankly, a terrible thing to say to him but she said it – another thing she shouldn't have – before clicking her teeth and sucking in a breath. The chakra broiled in her gut and swirled to life in her chest. The tiger seal felt natural to form as she breathed out the biggest Great Fireball she could, hoping that it would distract him from Manami making her own signs instead of running like anyone would have predicted. The fire was supposed to obscure his vision, not hurt him. He didn't even get to land completely before Manami's Wild Water Wave slapped into him, his clone, and Kakashi; his clone popping on impact.</p>
<p>Manami didn't stop, turning and bolting just as Ayame had done earlier, and Ayame shifted in front of her fleeing back. Leif pounced before Minato did.</p>
<p>Around and around they went, Minato picking at her more roughly than he had earlier and Kakashi being flung around like a rag-doll as she kept reaching for him again and again. All she needed to do was get him away from Minato and the exercise would be over.</p>
<p>Naoya was there, what felt like forever and a half later, and she didn't say a word as she swiped at Minato and advanced. She hadn't wanted to advance before Naoya got there, but now? Naoya's shadow crawled along the forest's floor and kept Minato jumping back to avoid it. There were too many shadows for the Nara to work with where they were so his options were very few. He shot towards the east, instead of directly north, and Ayame wanted a camera.</p>
<p>She really, really, did because the first thing he did was set off one trap – he used Hiraishin to escape it – than activated another – and another – and another – Naoya and her were left following behind in his wake as he activated slime traps and pitfalls and sharp spikes and swinging logs and claw traps – <i>Naoya was given a look for that one</i> – and then Uchiha-grade ninja wire began to come into play by clothes-lining Minato immediately after he had jumped into a tree.</p>
<p>She reached Kakashi before he got his air back.</p>
<p>“Probably shouldn't have jumped so roughly.” Naoya grumbled before sliding down to sit against the base of a tree; his shadow tangled in Minato's and dragging him to the ground with him. Kakashi bucked once, still staring aghast at his sensei, but Ayame tossed him over a shoulder, held his legs with both arms, and shot towards Manami's chakra; calling for Leif to stay with Naoya in case anything weird happened.</p>
<p>The barking next had her doubling her speed and adding chakra to her legs to go even faster than that.</p>
<p>Kaiya's voice shouted, “The dogs are out!” And Vita wanted to cackle and sing all at once.</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <i>Who let the dogs out?</i>
  </b>
</p>
<p>Nearly bowling over Manami in her haste to throw Kakashi into a pile with Rin, Ayame panted to catch her breath before taking stock of how everyone fared.</p>
<p>Naoya was near done, holding Minato in place last she'd seen just moments prior – Sora, Ryota, and Iruka were bleeding but on their feet, mostly, from squaring off against Hizashi – Rikuto and Aki were leaning against each other and it looked like they weren't far off from collapsing, and she didn't blame them since they had to hold Kushina by themselves – Manami was panting, out of breath from having been moving back and forth between the group so much, and Ayame herself wasn't any better –</p>
<p>But they finished their mission – err, training session.</p>
<p>Yeah...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hey! I thought you hadn't taught any of yours how to use seals yet!” Jiro marched up to Kushina once they met back up – ignoring the genin around him as they began working the restraints off of their upper ranked age members. Kakashi and Rin, of course. “What the fuck was that back there?!”</p>
<p>“<i>Language –</i>”</p>
<p>“What do you mean? Of course I haven't started them on that! They aren't ready, <i>dattebane</i>!”</p>
<p>They had shared information about each others teams before starting? The unfair advantage went further up in their favor and had her eye twitch. Or maybe that was because of how long she had kept her Sharingan on...</p>
<p>“I did warn you that Kushina-san wasn't the only one with students interested in the art.”</p>
<p>“You said <i>interested</i>! Not that they were already using it in traps!”</p>
<p>“Now, now – how about we all take a breather?” Minato tried to placate Jiro, hands out and spread apart, and Ayame couldn't help but see him trying to calm down a large dog. The differences were few, but it would have been rude to say aloud. “I must admit, all the genin present showed remarkable talent.”</p>
<p>Ayame kept one ear on them and the other on the rest of her gathered year-mates, undoing the restraints that had previously kept Kakashi from running off. Manami was doing the same for Rin. “You did good,” It was said quietly, with averted eyes and his chin nearly touching his collar bone, but he spoke to her of his own volition so she'd take that win.</p>
<p>“Thank you.” The exercise had been designed for them to fail, <i>obviously</i>, but they hadn't so now the Jōnin-sensei probably didn't know what to do.</p>
<p>Minato had tied the restraints too tight on Kakashi.</p>
<p>“Why didn't he use any summons?”</p>
<p>“Sensei?”</p>
<p>Ayame bobbed her head in a nod as she folded into seiza in front of Kakashi, the last of the rope<i>-that-wasn't-rope</i> falling off of him. “Obi-nii mentioned that he had summons once.” She caught his flinch, had nearly done so herself, but steeled her nerves. <i>Obi-nii wasn't dead</i>, she <i>knew</i> he wasn't, but Kakashi didn't and <i>he should</i> and – “I just wonder why he didn't use them.”</p>
<p>“It would have been more unfair than it was to begin with.” Her shoulders were already tight, so they couldn't have grown anymore tense, but she did feel her eye twitch again at the sudden close proximity between her and Minato as he spoke over her head. “I'll <i>definitely</i> have to use them next time.”</p>
<p>There was going to be a next time? She needed to start training Leif more. And move Ground Zero to a newer and sturdier location.</p>
<p>“Alright everyone, gather around so that we can discuss what just happened.” Hizashi was the one to call them all to order and Ayame was moving, hand reaching out to grab Kakashi's without thought, before he flinched away from her. She had been dragging around Naoya and Iruka for so long that she forgot he wasn’t one of her usual’s.</p>
<p><i>He needed more people contact</i>, she noted.</p>
<p>“Normally I open with – <i>‘what could you have done better’</i> – but,” Minato scratched at his cheek a little sheepishly. “You all passed the training mission very well so I guess I’ll ask one close to it instead: what could you have improved on?”</p>
<p>“We spent too long gathering everyone together,” Ryota spoke up first, sitting between Naoya and Aki. “Ayame-chan’s plan hinged on everyone cooperating and it took too long to locate each team and relay the plan in parts.”</p>
<p>“It was also a good thing since it wasn’t stated that everyone would be working together – no one knew that the teams could cooperate until the plan was already in motion.” Naoya shrugged. “It also had the benefit of <i>no one</i> knowing the whole plan, in the event of capture or eavesdropping.”</p>
<p>“Definitely could have used more people that know Fūinjutsu.” Iruka sighed, sagging into her side, exhausted. “The only people that know it right now are me and Kushina-sensei and Minato-sensei and I ended up using<i> a lot</i> more chakra than I thought I would.”</p>
<p>She rubbed a hand between his shoulders and pointedly ignored whoever snickered at his words.</p>
<p>“Ayame-chan could have made separate team leaders, instead of taking all the weight of the mission on herself.”</p>
<p>“She <i>definitely</i> should have sent someone with more chakra to the pit in the south.”</p>
<p>“I should have brought more tags. I think I used most of them on Kushina-sensei.”</p>
<p>And everyone was tossing out their ideas while the sensei just – stood there. <i>Watching.</i> It was like they were waiting on something.</p>
<p>“And you Ayame-chan?” Minato quirked a brow. “Anything to add?”</p>
<p>They were waiting on her?</p>
<p>She really thought about it, adding in all the comments everyone else had already made, and found – “Everyone should have been more in touch with one another.” And that was <i>true</i>. “This wasn’t a covert mission with a need-to-know basis and a desire for secrecy – everyone here should have some idea of each other's abilities and range of skills in the event of a randomized team being formed, such as the case here. Foreknowledge of both one’s teammates’ skills and that of their opponents would have come in handy.”</p>
<p>“Ground Zero.” Naoya knew her well. She bobbed her head at him and shifted under the weight of both Iruka's physical bulk and the gazes of their sensei.</p>
<p>She focused on Iruka instead of the sensei. “Ground Zero was created as a training ground for Academy students to gather during their own free time and improve their skills, both individually and, incidentally, as a part of a group. It was what made the plan easier to create because I already knew several traits about most everyone here.”</p>
<p>“That’s actually,” Hizashi murmured. “Not a bad idea.”</p>
<p>“And did you have any limitations on who could join this little Training Ground Zero?” Minato asked, hand cradling his chin as his eyes flickered over each of them.</p>
<p>“My little cousin started joining us at some point,” She was <i>loath</i> to admit that because of what his little genius ended up doing – “So <i>no</i>. There was no age or rank limit, all were welcome.”</p>
<p>“I don’t get it!” Jiro rubbed at his head and Ayame held her tongue; she wasn’t going to explain it – <i>She wasn’t</i> – She refuses to be the one to tell him what he should have worked out on his own because of being a <i>Jōnin-sensei</i> – “Ahh! <i>Forget it!</i> They all figured out teamwork and cooperation, even though they did it weird and it feels like <i>cheating</i> – ”</p>
<p>
  <i>Wasn’t cheating a part of being shinobi?</i>
</p>
<p>“Agreed!” Kushina overrode him and pumped her hand in the air. “This exercise was pointless and means we’ve been training all of you wrong so now we need to double up everything to even it out!” <i>That didn’t make any sense whatsoever.</i></p>
<p>“I don’t get it,” Rikuto whispered, though she was certain everyone heard him. “Are we being punished for winning?”</p>
<p>“Rewarded actually.” And there was Hizashi's little sadistic grin – the same one she was certain no one else saw through but her and her team. “With <i>extra training</i>.”</p>
<p>The groan Iruka and Rikuto let out was echoed by other teams; she rubbed his back in consolation and said nothing.</p>
<p>Ayame knew what Vita didn’t about Hizashi – he thrived on their pain and attitudes. Better to not let it show at all.</p>
<p>“You all did very well together, far better than everyone here thought, and there will be changes to everyone’s training regimen, I'm sure, but first,” Here is where Minato held up a finger as if to make a point and draw attention. “We celebrate a job well done and a reward for all the hard work you did in rescuing your fellow shinobi from four Jōnin-rank shinobi.”</p>
<p>When put like that, they really had done good.</p>
<p>A quick game of rock-paper-scissors decided who would pick their choice of lunch, something Vita boggled at but Ayame kept her face straight to avoid drawing attention to herself, and it was decided on a BBQ place that the Akimichi run nearby – Jiro had won and gloated that fact over Kushina until she threatened to punt him into the sun.</p>
<p>Her team didn’t snicker, but his did.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“Are you gonna eat that?” She needed to, but she held the piece of meat out for Iruka to take anyway since he had certainly earned it after their training. Rikuto bit into his next piece a little more savagely than necessary, earning an elbow from Kaiya. The table was barely big enough for all the teams present, even though they were pulled together and had seats recovered for everyone. Ayame was sandwiched between Iruka and Manami, enjoying the company of both as they chattered and occasionally checked on the cooking meat.</p>
<p>Kakashi was an expert at keeping tabs on the food and eating without being seen taking a single bite – something that confused and awed several of the members around.</p>
<p>Something that Kushina took almost personal offense to, as well.</p>
<p>“Kakashi-san,” Everyone was in a very good mood, even the depressed members of Team Minato because of the lack of their other teammate being present – <i>he wasn’t dead</i> and she hated that she couldn’t tell them and have them take it seriously. The sole dark-dark-dark grey orb turned towards her over the packed and chubby cheek sticking out from under his mask. “Will you help me train Leif?”</p>
<p>The sensei side of the table went suspiciously <i>still</i>.</p>
<p>Eye went a little wide – <i>and Rin did pound on his back when he choked on his food, too, but she politely ignored that</i> – and, once he got his breath back, he asked why, why him. And there was a look a little too intense coming from Rin but Ayame answered anyway. “You have animal summons, too,” She knew he did from both Vita's memories and Obi-nii's complaints. “And it’s a good way to both familiarize myself with your abilities and train at that same time.”</p>
<p>“Eh? Kakashi-san is gonna go to Ground Zero, too?”</p>
<p>“He might not have time,” Naoya piped in from a few seats down. She hadn’t thought she was being loud with her request. “He’s a new Jōnin-ranked shinobi; he'll be running higher ranked missions than we'll be unable to even hear about because of – ”</p>
<p>“What were you wanting to teach him?” The fact that Kakashi himself was the one that interrupted Naoya was a little surprising.</p>
<p>Ayame considered his tense shoulders before answering. He was uncomfortable again – that wasn’t what she was trying to do. “Leif was built for speed and flexibility – to be a sudden one-hit-kill.” It wasn’t a comforting thought but she was a shinobi and had to deal with that reality sooner rather than later. Another thing to deal with – her morals and conscious. “His tracking skills aren’t the greatest since he’s still a cub and he’s nowhere near fully grown.”</p>
<p>Leif was sitting in Naoya's lap, stealing bites of food from him and Ryota and Sora, both of whom flanked him on either side, and had lifted his head towards her when the question had been posed. His green-gold-blue gaze twitched between her and Kakashi before settling on the latter.</p>
<p>Kakashi, apparently realizing all the sudden attention on the conversation, tensed further and resolutely stared back at her with a slightly panicky look in his eye. “I’ll need to see when I’m able to find a free moment between missions and training.”</p>
<p>She knew Minato and Kushina and even Rin would encourage – <i>or bully</i> – him to accept her request and knew she should have waited for another time to do so. And she needed to cut them all off before saying anything that would make the matter worse for him. “Don’t worry about it too much, if you can then you can – if you can't then you can’t.” She shrugged in an effort to take the pressure off him. “Any tips about training would be useful, if you have time. No rush.” Her eyes slid towards Kushina in narrowed slits when she noted the sudden shift and rise from the redhead.</p>
<p>Minato pulled her back into her seat with a grin and started whispering.</p>
<p>“Should we invite the other graduates to the next Ground Zero meeting?” Her attention moved off them and onto Naoya next, neither one caring overmuch when Leif slid under the table from his lap and into hers. Iruka rubbed a hand over his head absently.</p>
<p>Naoya started grumbling – more than likely over her making him think outside of a shogi game and training – and conversation resumed. The Jōnin were having their own hush-hush conversation and largely ignored them.</p>
<p>
  <i>She didn’t like that look in Kushina's eyes.</i>
</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“He’s so small,” Iruka cooed down at the baby, holding a finger out for the tiny fist to grip. Rikuto nervously stroked a hand over the top of his head, feathery soft hair barely touching his fingers from the proximity. Tsubame, Hizashi's <i>very lovely</i> wife, was much too polite to snicker at them fawning over her curious son, something Ayame smirked at.</p>
<p>It was a very Uchiha-grade smirk so she didn’t hold it long.</p>
<p>“Neji-kun is going to be so strong – just like Sensei.” Iruka wiggled his other fingers out for Neji to jolt and stare at in surprise while Rikuto cooed next. Ayame was patient to wait her turn to hold the little genius, knowing his life was going to be vastly different from what she knew it to be because of <i>her</i>.</p>
<p>Everything would be different because of <i>her</i> and <i>her choices</i> – She couldn’t let Neji go down as he did.</p>
<p>Neji was finally shuffled over to her embrace, all-seeing eyes blinking up at her before staring with unwavering focus, especially for only being a month old. She supported his head, then his spine, then held him close, and she smiled. He was so small and warm and trusting. Tsubame leaned forward a little before Hizashi pulled her back with a shake of his head and a smile.</p>
<p>Ayame tried not to let it bother her.</p>
<p>“Hello Neji-kun.” Ayame kept her voice low and level, how she remembered speaking to her nieces and nephews when they were small, and rocked slowly in her seat, side-to-side. “My name is Uchiha Ayame, and I hope we get along as you grow up.” It would probably <b>wreck her</b> if he didn’t like her.</p>
<p>“Ah, I’m sure that the two of you will be close, Ayame-chan,” Hizashi smiled, lips turning upwards further and she had the distinct impression that it was as close to a grin as he would give. “You are his new sister, after all.”</p>
<p>
  <i>What?</i>
</p>
<p>“And you two are going to have to be good examples as well,” Hizashi continued on, waggling a finger towards Iruka and Rikuto. “Two older brother to look up to.” Hizashi looked so smug and proud of himself and Tsubame looked like she swallowed a handful of sour grapes by accident, her shock more amusing than concerning at that moment. He had taken them all by surprise.</p>
<p>“Looks like you’re not getting rid of us easily, Neji-kun.” She leaned down to briefly press her forehead against his, pushing down the tears that wanted to make an appearance at the reminder of siblings.</p>
<p>She missed Obi-nii so much.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“Are you sure you want to train with me?” Kakashi was there when she called out her goodbyes and was leaving Ground Zero, Iruka having left earlier – Ikkaku was going to be showing him some more Fūinjutsu since he didn't have a mission that day. Kakashi jumped out of a nearby tree and landed in front of her, his shoulders tense – which couldn't have been healthy with how often he did it – and a narrow eye.</p>
<p>He looked nervous and uncomfortable – <i>and she wondered who pestered him into it.</i></p>
<p>Ayame waited a beat before answering, “If you have time, then yes.” She considered another thought and voiced it. “I can always ask Gai-san to help train me if you don’t have time. I don't want to bother you when you're busy with your own training and missions.” It was an out, an <i>easy</i> out, because she <i>could</i> have Gai help her – he was the fastest person she knew that was even close to their rank and age, and he already knew her – and let him off the hook.</p>
<p>She never should have asked him in the first place; there had been too many people around, especially those that he was close with.</p>
<p>“You,” His shoulders released a fraction of their tension and his eye wasn’t glaring at her anymore. “<i>Know</i> Gai?”</p>
<p>“I asked him for tips on how to increase my speed a few years ago,” She didn’t see the big deal – <i>until she did</i>. “I don’t see him often, Obi-nii would have thrown a fit,” She could actually imagine the reaction well. “But we do run into each other, sometimes, at the market, and he gives me a few more tips and training ideas.” Ayame made herself go through them instead of adjusting anything he recommended because she <i>knew</i> he was a future beast at speed and taijutsu.</p>
<p><i>Konoha's Green Beast</i>, as a matter of fact.</p>
<p>Kakashi hunched in on himself again, looking one way then another before looking at her again. She waited patiently, even as she felt someone creeping along the edges of her sensing. “Gai and I train together sometimes.”</p>
<p>That, wasn’t an answer.</p>
<p>“It’s good to know you aren’t spending all your time alone.” Ayame prompted when the silence stretched on between them. It was a <i>‘congrats on having a friend’</i> without sounding like pity. Or, as close as she could get it. He looked a little exasperated and a lot frustrated and she was letting him wallow because <i>she didn’t know what he was wanting to say.</i></p>
<p>She couldn’t do this for him, even if she wanted to.</p>
<p>“That’s not what I meant.”</p>
<p>“Still good to know; I’ll have to send Gai-san a thank you basket later for being your friend.” <i>Sass</i>, oh Kami, she was being sassy with <i>angst-filled teenage Hatake Kakashi</i> and she <i>couldn’t stop herself</i>. “Maybe he could help you with the training, if that’s what you meant?”</p>
<p>She didn’t realize what sort of insult she had just made until her words caught up with her.</p>
<p>Implying Kakashi needed someone's help in training someone else who had gone to him for something he had already done and knew how to do?</p>
<p>Whelp… it seemed her life as Vita was beginning to slowly bleed into Ayame.</p>
<p>“I don’t need his help to train summons!”</p>
<p>“Ah, that came out wrong.”</p>
<p>“How did you mean it to come out then?”</p>
<p>“That perhaps you were uncomfortable with training me after he already has?” This conversation was going down hill, fast.</p>
<p>“Are you saying my training would be inadequate compared to his?”</p>
<p>“Ah, well,” She was stuck because of the flashes she remembered with him as Team Seven's Jōnin-sensei and the great many fuck-ups there and Gai was, well. She had been quiet too long – <i>She needed to say something!</i> “I’m sure you know what you’re doing when it comes to summons.” <i>She just remembered that Gai had a summon.</i></p>
<p>She should have gone to him instead – and sent Shisui to badger the morose tiny Jōnin. He was good at that sort of thing.</p>
<p>Kakashi huffed and looked away, arms starting to raise as if to cross over his chest before aborting and going to stuff his fists in his pockets instead. Crossed arms was a sign of defensiveness, she recalled, whereas hands in the pockets were because of being unsatisfied with one's self. There was something about that… “We have a mission coming up, so I won’t be able to train with you for long.” What mission? Oh Sage, was it <i>that</i> mission? “Meet me at Training Ground Fifteen at dawn – we'll start then.” A swirl of chakra and wind and leaves and Ayame was left staring at an empty space.</p>
<p><i>Fuck</i>, she nearly forgot about Rin.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Her too-quiet house was a point of conflict. It was perfect for her to gather her thoughts and plan and relax without having someone look too far into her mannerisms and actions. It also hurt to think about how it used to be so full of life and how she was the last of her immediate family living there.</p>
<p>
  <i>She needed to bring Obi-nii home – </i>
</p>
<p>But first, she had to keep Rin alive somehow. And it wasn’t going to be easy with the war still going strong, she had been a little surprised her team hadn’t been sent out on some mission or another outside Konoha's walls. Hizashi might have had something to do with it, but she didn’t see the logic in it. It worked to her advantage though.</p>
<p>Their missions kept them in-village, never took longer than the day they accepted them, and were never overly strenuous. She had plenty of time to pack a bug-out-bag and prepare to follow after what remained of Team Minato. She didn’t know when they ended up separating, just that they did at some point, and needed to be ready for when Rin would be taken and Kakashi would give chase. The amount of death that followed because of Rin was <i>astonishing</i>.</p>
<p>Ayame really wished there was someone she could have planned with; someone that knew the plot <i>better</i> than Vita Havard did.</p>
<p>As it stood, Ayame knew more about her surroundings than Vita did, but Vita knew what to plan for. The bug-out-bag had every possible thing she could need for injuries – bandages, tweezers, padding, scissors, antibiotics, even some things she had found in Obaa-san's bathroom First Aid kit that prompted quick clotting over open wounds and soldier pills – and flares and two blankets, several handfuls of emergency rations, cups of instant ramen, and the spare kitchen kettle she had found in the bottom of the cupboard.</p>
<p>She planned to be gone for several days, not one, so she kept her equipment on her and fully stocked and made a trip to the Uchiha armory to check out some various other things to keep on hand – using that newfound <i>beautiful</i> excuse of training with Kakashi to avoid being questioned too much. They ignored it and gave her what she wanted.</p>
<p>She signed out more Uchiha-grade wire and kunai, a bundle of corded rope and hooks, and even a few explosive tags – citing her need to begin working on trap execution and avoidance. It was a lie as much as it was true – but her training in it was going to be on the move. She wished she had an older Iruka with her, he was really good at traps.</p>
<p>And he would have been able to make a storage seal – <i>Wait.</i> She could – hm. </p>
<p>Blank scrolls were added while she was thinking, her interest in Fūinjutsu common knowledge amongst those of the clan that knew of her, which meant a majority of them did, as well as another bottle of ink and a few brushes. She didn’t intend to take all of it with her, but it was better to have it all on hand instead of needing it later and being out.</p>
<p>Her bug-out-bag was not as full as she worried it would have been, thanks to the storage scrolls she made that night, but it left her with little time to rest, as Leif reminded her. Kakashi side-eyed her when she dragged her feet into the training ground the next morning.</p>
<p>She was running on three hours, which wasn’t as surprising it should have been since she hadn’t been sleeping very well since Obi-nii disappeared/'died'/was kidnapped, and it <i>showed</i>. Kakashi didn’t mention it, though, and she wasn’t going to volunteer the information. He went through a series of handsigns and slapped a palm on the ground.</p>
<p>The thick cloud dissipated to show – <i>oh shit.</i> Tiny Pakkun really was <i>cute</i>.</p>
<p>Vita never understood the appeal.</p>
<p>“This is one of my summons: Pakkun,” Kakashi was explaining while Leif circled the little pug slowly, body more fuzz than sleek fur so the intimidation wasn’t great. He was bigger, though, so she supposed he still had that going for him. “We're going to be going over proper tracking and scenting.”</p>
<p>“Is there a way to <i>improperly track</i>?” She figured it was all the same really: find scent and follow trail.</p>
<p>She was apparently <i>wrong</i> and Kakashi spent the next <i>three hours</i> telling her just how <i>wrong</i> that thought was. Understanding was easier than following through, she discovered, and Leif was more than a little frustrated with himself. Tracking wasn’t his strong suit, she knew that from the very beginning, what felt like forever ago but – was it really only a few days ago?</p>
<p>“Good,” Kakashi nodded his approval, hands on his hips with the palms facing inward. “Better than I was expecting since your summon is still so new.”</p>
<p>Glad she could exceed his expectations...</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm so sorry for the long absence! Works been crazy with new company changes, worldwide, and I was both promoted and not, and now I'm temporarily snowed in thanks to weather sooo... I'm back? Sorta? Hopefully I can get another chapter out soon! ^-^'</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>
  <i>I'm back again?!</i>
</p>
<p>On a roll, <i>please don't jinx me!</i></p>
<p>
  <i>Plot Plot Plot</i>
  <br/>
</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Are you staying for dinner, Ayame-chan?” Yoshino withdrew her fist from where she had been threatening Shikaku and blinked<i> almost </i>innocently at Ayame. “I believe Inoichi-san and Choza-san are going to be joining us tonight. You know them, don’t you?”</p>
<p>“I’ve met Inoichi-san,” She recalled that meeting being one Shikaku<i> still</i> found amusement in. “But I haven’t met Choza-san.” She turned her attention to Shikaku when she said as much, not sure of her welcome if the original Ino-Shika-Cho trio were coming together.</p>
<p>It was as if he read her thoughts. “I can introduce you to him.” He rolled one shoulder in a shrug. “He’s been asking about you for a while now so he'll be upset if you leave now without any introductions.”  He was <i>guilt-tripping</i> her? Rude.</p>
<p><i>… now she couldn’t leave.</i> Shit.</p>
<p>“Do you need help with dinner, Yoshino-san?”</p>
<p>“Ah, just Yoshino is alright. You don’t use any honorifics with Shikaku either.” She had also known Shikaku nearly her whole life but she wasn’t going to argue about it. “And there’s still time before dinner’s ready so you can go play with Naoya-kun.” Yoshino actually shooed her away, hand flapping in her direction while the older woman walked back towards the kitchen.</p>
<p>That, too, was a little strange. Vita had been prepared to be strong-armed into helping. She wasn’t sure how to feel about attending a dinner with the original Ino-Shika-Cho trio uninvited and empty-handed. Distracting herself with Naoya <i>was</i> tempting, but she had a better idea. Leif was waved into staying with Shikaku as she slipped out the front door.</p>
<p>“I need your help.” She stood in his doorway, having been let in by his mother, and stared down at him as he laid underneath his raised bed. <i>She wasn’t going to ask –<b> She wasn’t –</b></i></p>
<p>Eyes near black, more because of his place in the shadows than naturally that way, blinked at her in a daze. He looked drugged, now that she got a good look at him. “When’d you get ‘ere?” He sounded drugged, too, with the prominent slur in his words. Her brow furrowed and she started to open her mouth, but then the shadows under his bed shifted and stretched as if flexing in her direction.</p>
<p><i>Was that</i> – Was he like that because of training with shadows? <i>Was that a thing?</i> If it was, he would be duty-bound by his clan to not talk about it with her.</p>
<p>“I just got here.” Technically. She'll ask him about his current state later. “I need your help with something.”</p>
<p>“It's not,” He clicked his tongue, smacked his lips, and slow blinked at her. “<i>Dangerous</i>, is it?” His words were slow and dragged out and she swallowed back each question she wanted to ask.</p>
<p>“It's cooking.” Which, really, explained absolutely nothing and she watched him think through it as if it did. Ayame could almost literally see the gears turning and clicking in his eyes before he sluggishly began to crawl out from under his bed. She eyed the way his shadows twitched and flickered along the floor and inched closer to her. “Shikaku, in a way, invited me to dinner but he already had other guests invited and I do not want to show up without a gift.”</p>
<p>Vita had been the world's <i>worst</i> about bringing baked goods with her to any occasion. Ayame may have a problem she was already conscious of.</p>
<p>“What're we doing?” His slurring was easing and she watched as his shadow circled her before finally connecting. It wasn’t a feeling she could describe easily – <i>a hand reaching out and touching her without the press of heated skin following or even a weight she could feel</i> – but she kept still and let him without shoving him away or fighting it. <i><b>There was no danger here and he was her friend.</b></i></p>
<p>She still watched the shadows dance along the floor as he pulled himself to his feet. “I was thinking about making a cake or something.” She really wanted to fidget but she was uniquely aware of the shadow that was rising to wrap around one of her ankles like a hand and chose to not do that. “But I don’t know what would be a good idea or if there’s something I should avoid and – ” She cut herself off when Naoya lurched in her direction, arms reaching out to catch him automatically.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” His face was mashed into her shoulder but she still heard him. “New technique is,” He grunted as he pushed himself off of her and back to standing on his own two feet with a little sway. “A little more difficult than I thought.” Ayame's hands hovered, ready to catch him in case of another spill, but she glanced down at the way the shadow had crept up her leg when she had jerked to catch him. “Sorry.” He had caught her glance and held his head.</p>
<p>“No harm done,” She caught his hands and pulled them away. “Are you good enough to help me pick something out?”</p>
<p>His eyes were normally a dark brown shade with one having a streak of silver running across the iris in a slant –<i> the left one</i> – but the brown was barely noticeable with how blown his pupils were. She worried but he slowly bobbed his head and she hesitantly let the matter drop for now. But not his hands. His hands flexed, fingers straightening and curving around her palms, and slowly wrapped around her fingers with each digit moving one by one.</p>
<p>It was incredibly awkward but the focus on his face showed how difficult it was for him right then so she let him.</p>
<p>Awkward duck that he was at that very moment.</p>
<p>“Who else,” His eyes narrowed and he held their hands between them with a furrow on his brow. “Is Going?”</p>
<p>“Shikaku invited Inoichi-san and Choza-san,” She normally didn’t mind hand holding but this was creeping into uncomfortable territory very fast. The things she did for her friends. “And I have only met Inoichi-san once before. I have not met Choza-san.”</p>
<p>Naoya's head slowly tilted to the side, pondering; although his gaze never rose above their now threaded fingers. The shadows were around her other leg now, up to her thighs, and she was starting to wonder if she needed to alert someone in his family to his condition. She didn’t think he was supposed to be doing this alone. “Baking?”</p>
<p>“Yes.” She didn’t think she needed to answer but she did anyway.</p>
<p>He hummed, low in his throat, and she waited as the shadows finally reached her waist. They kind of reminded her of the Heartless from Kingdom Hearts now that Vita considered it, wondering where she had seen something move like that before, and Ayame’s worry grew just a bit at how it was twining around her.</p>
<p>
  <i>He was her friend and he wouldn’t hurt her.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i></i>
</p>
<p>
  <i></i>
</p>
<p>
  <b>He was her friend and he wouldn’t hurt her.</b>
</p>
<p><i><b>He was her friend and he was beginning to worry her.</b></i> “Choza-san is the clan head of the Akimichi Clan so he will enjoy any kind of food you put in front of him.” His voice was low, nothing more than a mumble under his breath, and his grip on her hands tightened. The shadows had stopped reaching up and fluxed around her. It was such a weird feeling. “Inoichi-san is more particular about what he eats and strays from most fried and oily foods so any baked goods should be fine.”</p>
<p>It was the most she had ever gotten him to talk outside of training – and, even then, it was like pulling teeth to get him to do so.</p>
<p>The shadows were receding.</p>
<p>“I was thinking about baking a cake so that everyone could enjoy it.” The longer he spoke, the more focused his gaze was on their hands, the further down the shadows went. <i>So she kept him talking.</i> “But I wasn’t sure what to make. Do they have any preferences?”</p>
<p>His head tilted the other direction, lids drooping before narrowing again, gaze ever on their linked hands. “Inoichi-san is the head of the Yamanaka Clan and the clan is known for their farmlands and vineyards, outside of their shinobi abilities. I’ve heard that he has a sweet tooth and likes fruit?” He didn’t sound so certain but the shadows were around her ankles now so she kept the conversation going.</p>
<p>“I can make an apple pie and banana bread,” She watched the way he tilted one way and another and kept talking – kept him focused on the conversation and not on the technique she <i>wasn’t going to ask about</i>. “I remember seeing some apples from Tea Country at the market yesterday.” His pupils weren’t as blown as they were a minute ago. “But I could use your help to find the bananas. We normally get them in from Sun Country but I don’t remember seeing any lately.”</p>
<p>He needed to get out of his room for a bit.</p>
<p>“I think,” He blinked a little too hard and she found herself watching him more than the receding shadows. He looked more than a little confused. “I saw a vendor with some yesterday. We can see if he still has some.”</p>
<p>The shadows shrunk back into his own and went still and Ayame was making a mental note to ask Shikaku about it all later instead of Naoya. Shikaku would know and be able to keep an eye on him better than she could. Naoya shook his head slowly, side-to-side, before starting to let go of her hands with a near sheepish glance at her face. She waited until he grabbed his jacket – it was part of his ‘look’ so she didn’t interrupt – before grabbing his hand again to drag him along.</p>
<p>It was normal, something she had done to him plenty of times, but she noted the way he gripped her hand tightly this time instead of just letting her hold his.</p>
<p>“Going out!”</p>
<p>“Be back for dinner!”</p>
<p>They hustled – she hustled, really, Naoya was just dragged along for the ride – to the market and found the two stalls in question, buying several apples and bananas before dipping into one of the regular grocery stores – it was being run by a family with the last name of Haruno, she noted absently – for the rest of the baking ingredients like flour and eggs and sugar.</p>
<p>Naoya remained in her shadow the whole trip, quite literally; each time she stopped, he was standing directly on top of her shadow and she would note it but not comment. Just another thing to ask Shikaku about later.</p>
<p>“Where did you even hear about this stuff?” Naoya asked. She was having him help and was currently peeling and slicing apples.</p>
<p>Ayame knew because Vita knew but she couldn’t tell him that. No one would ever understand that remark so she swallowed the truth back and went with something that was a truth for Vita even of it wasn’t true for Ayame. “I would help Obaa-san in the kitchen a lot and we would make all sorts of stuff.”</p>
<p>“Banana bread?” He looked over at the bananas with a furrowed brow and she paused in her mixing long enough to quirk a brow at him in return.</p>
<p>“I can save you a slice of each, if you want.”</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“I brought dessert.” Ayame managed to convince Naoya to help her deliver the baked goods, something that didn’t technically require much convincing and only needed to be asked. Yoshino huffed and smiled while Shikaku, looking over her shoulder, smirked. “I wasn’t sure what was good so I brought two.” Banana bread wasn’t normally sweet, but she always added chocolate chips to hers, something she improvised on since the only chocolate sold was in a block, and her apple pie was just as sweet as was expected, thanks to the naturally sweet apples and the cinnamon, so she was beginning to think she probably should have done something a little less sweet in case of someone not having much of a sweet tooth.</p>
<p>Naoya nudged her shoulder – breaking her from her thoughts – and she glanced at him before slipping off her sandals and going towards the kitchen when prompted. “That wasn’t necessary, Ayame-chan, but thank you.” Yoshino took Ayame's bundle first, to set down, and uncovered it to get a good look. It was the apple pie and the smell of apples and cinnamon wafted through the room immediately.</p>
<p>Naoya's stomach growled on cue.</p>
<p>“<i>Oh</i>,” Yoshino stared at it a little longer than Ayame was comfortable with before reaching for Naoya's burden next. The smell of chocolate and baked banana bread joined the cinnamon and apples and the whole room smelled like a bakery.</p>
<p>She had just taken them out of the oven not long ago.</p>
<p>“It smells great,” Shikaku's hand landed on her head and he nudged it side-to-side gently, not knocking her tail askew even a little she was surprised to find. “I’m sure the guys will love them.” He knew that was what she was worried about so she smiled a little and nodded. He knew them better than she did, and better than Naoya did, so she accepted his words gratefully.</p>
<p>Naoya's hand grabbed hers and drew her attention instantly. “I told my mom that I’d be back for dinner,” He shrugged a little at Shikaku when the elder quirked a lazy brow at him. “I’ll see you tomorrow at training, right?” His fingers were holding instead of clutching – <i>and <b>yes</b>, there was a difference</i> – so she didn’t feel bad about letting him out of her sight. Earlier, it would have been a different matter entirely.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I’ll be there.”</p>
<p>She was leaving immediately after – but she wasn’t telling him that.</p>
<p>His hand left hers and he waved at Shikaku and bowed to Yoshino and left. She found two sets of eyes focused on her after he left and she wondered if she should have asked him to stay. “That might be the guys,” Shikaku rumbled at the noisy footsteps and voices coming from the entry. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.” His hand returned to her head and she obligingly trotted along at his side to find both Inoichi and Choza in the doorway, Naoya ducking around them and slipping away.</p>
<p>She suddenly wished she had done the same when two different sets of eyes zeroed in on her.</p>
<p>“Is that Ayame-chan?” Inoichi crouched down, bending at the waist to maintain eye contact, and grinned at her. That was not the way to talk to people smaller than one's self and Ayame felt a tick of annoyance flicker through her at the display. “You’ve grown!”</p>
<p>“Technically speaking, it would’ve been more surprising if I hadn't.” Ayame was sassing again and couldn’t seem to stop herself. She didn’t feel as bothered by it as she normally would've been because of Shikaku's snickering and Choza's full belly laugh. “It’s nice to meet you.” She bowed a little towards the Akimichi head and watched him wipe away an errant tear.</p>
<p>“Ah, nice to meet you! It’s about time, too, I was starting to think Shikaku would never introduce us!” Choza chuckled at the grumbling Shikaku did next and Ayame found her lips quirking into a smirk without thought. <i>How very Uchiha.</i></p>
<p>“Ayame, this is Akimichi Choza, he was one of my genin teammates. And you remember Inoichi,” He turned a little smirk the Yamanaka's way and continued, “Maybe. He wasn’t all that memorable the last time you had met.” Inoichi squawked and Ayame laughed with them and Yoshino hollered for them to stop standing at the door and it was nice.</p>
<p>It was like home.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“<i>No –</i> ” Inoichi jerked his plate out of Choza's reach and Ayame watched the exchange with wide eyes. Shikaku hummed around his spoon as he ate another bite of apple pie. Yoshino had already started cutting herself another slice of banana bread. The war going on between Choza and Inoichi over the blond’s slice went largely ignored. “You have a whole plate in front of you! <i>You don’t need mine!</i>”</p>
<p>“But yours looks better…”</p>
<p>“<i>It’s the same thing!</i>”</p>
<p>Ayame took that moment to reach for a slice of each and put them on her empty plate, planning to save them for Naoya like she said she would.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“Sell me your recipe.” Hands on her shoulders, Choza locked his eyes onto hers and asked that question, of all things. The saved slices of food were wrapped neatly and in her hands, something that caused her to tense when Choza suddenly broke off the conversation he was having with Shikaku and Inoichi and turned to her. She thought he was going for the food at first.</p>
<p>Then his words caught up to her. Her brow furrowed and her eyes narrowed at him. “No.” Didn’t they run savory food joints? Why would he want her recipes? There were bakeries here in Konoha that he could have supply dessert if that’s what he was after. Or even buy them out himself.</p>
<p>“Eh? Oh, come on, Ayame-chan,” He sunk down in front of her and pouted. “Don’t make me beg.”</p>
<p>“I’m not making you do anything,” And she shrugged, a little uncomfortable with his large hands on her shoulders. “Although begging would not help you any anyway.”</p>
<p>Shikaku was looking away but she saw his shoulders shaking.</p>
<p>“I’m going to take these to Naoya,” She bobbed her head at everyone there – everyone else that just had dinner – and wiggled out from under Choza's grip. “It was nice to meet you.” Yoshino stopped the Akimichi from following and she could hear Inoichi's snickering as she walked off.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Iruka was frowning at her and it was making her shoulders tense. “Are you OK?” Ayame had sent Leif to track Kakashi and Rin when they left for their mission that morning, under orders to keep an eye out for another Uchiha-type chakra signature that would feel like hers. <i>Obito –</i> “You seem,” He squinted at her. “You seem out of it.”</p>
<p>“I’m fine,” She was waiting on Leif to reverse summon himself, to tell her that Minato had left his students, that Rin was in trouble and had been kidnapped,<i> that he could feel the chakra she missed being around –</i> “Why do you ask?” It couldn’t have been obvious, right?</p>
<p>Iruka shook his head and Rikuto wondered close. “It’s just,” A huff and a furrowed brow. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because Leif isn’t here.” He shrugged a little helplessly and Rikuto looked between them with a narrow gaze. “You’ve been inseparable since you first summoned him so maybe that’s it.”</p>
<p>“You look sad,” Rikuto crossed his arms with a huff and barely glanced at Iruka when he snapped his head towards him. “What happened?”</p>
<p>He didn’t know? “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” She shrugged then, not bothering to be subtle about the way she narrowed her own eyes back at him in annoyance. She didn’t much care for the high-and-mighty way he was talking to her and acting around Iruka. “I’m fine.” Except now she was annoyed too.</p>
<p>There was finally a shared glance between her two teammates, and she didn’t care for it at all.</p>
<p>She couldn’t afford to have them watching her too closely.</p>
<p>“If you say so,” She side-eyed Rikuto when he grumbled and looked away then. Ayame was finally working into a team formation with both of them, finally getting Rikuto to work with them, and she was going to need him to stop looking too closely at anything she was doing. She needed to be able to drop everything and leave at a moment's notice. She didn’t even know if this was the mission when Rin would get kidnapped.</p>
<p>They had a mission coming soon themselves and she was loath to take it, even if it would take them in the direction Team Minato had already gone.</p>
<p>They were being sent towards the front lines, on a courier mission, against Hizashi's twisted mouth and furrowed brows and clear displeasure. The mission came first – as was the shinobi way.</p>
<p>What a load of horse shit.</p>
<p>She piled a few scarves and two books on top of the storage scrolls, keeping her bug-out-bag on her but inconspicuous, <i>“always need to be prepared”</i> is what she would say to Iruka's sigh and Rikuto's narrow look. Hizashi told her to keep track of her things and to try to fit only what she needed in her pouch – wouldn’t do to be too over-prepared that she was weighed down by what she had.</p>
<p>There was still no word from Leif, something that both worried her and eased her. It could have been a different mission – or it could have just not happened yet. The thought of being able to see Obito again –<i> Obi-nii </i>– had her chest feel tight and her focus wavering as her senses stretched again and again and again –</p>
<p>A campfire, warming her hands and face and keeping the darkness at bay –</p>
<p>Fireworks burning bright in the night sky, shining as bright as the stars beyond them –</p>
<p>A wide grin full of sorrow and dreams and impossibilities that seemed so very real and –</p>
<p>The taste of upcoming rain was heavy on her tongue, making her tense again, and drawing Rikuto's attention, as it had been doing for several days now. More teamwork had him paying more attention, she should have factored that in.</p>
<p>“Thanks for all your hard work,” The chūnin that they met with at the base was average and forgettable in every way she could imagine; honestly, it made them more dangerous. “There are bunks in the back; you can grab a few hours before heading back.” It was a near order, or it would have been if it was only Ayame, Iruka, and Rikuto there but Hizashi was ranked higher. He still agreed.</p>
<p>Iruka rolled onto the bottom bunk with her, the bag she carried pressed between her back and the wall, with Rikuto scowling as he climbed onto the top bunk. They ran near non-stop to reach the base the same day they set out – the same one Kakashi and Rin and Minato would go through to leave and return – and they were drained. Mostly. She matched her pace to Iruka's and still had a little air left in her lungs.</p>
<p>If Leif called, she would be gone in a moment.</p>
<p>Her eyes closed but her senses shifted, drifting over Iruka’s form and running along his chakra paths, brushing against Rikuto's to feel the way his chakra prickled against hers so differently from Iruka's, sought out Hizashi's to determine where he was in the building – she didn’t fully rest, didn’t drift off like Iruka did.</p>
<p>Leif’s paw landing on her thigh had her awake and alert in an instant. “No trouble, yet.” His voice was still more chirp-like than rumbling so it was a near squeak when he was whispering. “They are going to be stopping here to rest before returning to the village.” Leif would know otherwise he wouldn’t have left them. “Minato's orders.”</p>
<p>Her head bobbed before she shifted to lift herself up, mindful of Iruka pressed against her side. “How far out?”</p>
<p>“They should be at the gates within the next few minutes if they kept pace.”</p>
<p>Kakashi – Rin – The things she did for her Obi-nii.</p>
<p>Soon, she would see Rin again – and Kakashi – and Minato – and she would keep them close and safe and maybe she could convince Hizashi to return together with them –</p>
<p>A thunderstorm howling in the distance –</p>
<p>A burbling brook with a muddy bank beneath her feet –</p>
<p>A forest spring with fallen leaves dancing on its surface from the calm breeze –</p>
<p>They were there. It wasn’t hard to find them, weaving around patrols and passing shinobi to find Minato speaking with Hizashi and the chūnin from before; Kakashi and Rin were just behind him, holding the straps of their packs lightly, like they weren’t tired.</p>
<p>She knew they were.</p>
<p>“Ayame-chan?” Hizashi noticed her first. “I thought you were resting.”</p>
<p>“Couldn’t sleep.” It was a lie, she could have drifted off easily, lying beside Iruka and that familiar calming chakra of his, but she didn't. The thunderstorm was loud in her senses, standing this close to Kakashi, and she didn’t much care for the way Minato smiled down at her. “Are you heading out on a mission?” As if she didn’t know they were returning from one.</p>
<p>“We just got back,” Rin's smile was lackluster but at least she really tried for a normal conversation. “Sensei wants us to rest up a little before we go home.”</p>
<p>“So, we'll be heading out together then?” Her focus shifted to Hizashi, not taking notice of whatever went over Team Minato’s expressions. Hizashi made a face at her, of either exasperation or weary acceptance she didn't know which.</p>
<p>A sigh accompanied his words. “You so very rarely ask for anything even remotely personal, so I suppose we may.” She wasn’t asking.</p>
<p>Minato laughed, Rin giggled, and Kakashi just watched as she bristled like a cat before Leif slunk into view and wound himself between her ankles. “It just makes more sense to travel together. Strength in numbers and leaning on one another has always been something Konoha has taught and enforced.” She wasn’t sure why she was defending herself when she hadn’t asked to travel with them – it was what she wanted to happen, at that.</p>
<p>What was going on with her?</p>
<p>“Yes, yes; we're going to travel together. Don’t pout.”</p>
<p>Hizashi was picking at her! Again! She wasn’t sure why it was getting to her but her cheeks still puffed a little in indignation. Rin’s giggle wasn’t helping.</p>
<p>“Ah,” Minato smacked a fist against his palm in that age-old way of remembrance that Ayame honestly thought no one actually did. “If you don’t mind, I have a separate mission that I need to run. Could you watch my students for me?”</p>
<p>Perfect.</p>
<p>Hizashi waved Minato off and mentioned where they were resting up, but Minato grinned down at her before he turned to leave. “You mind walking me out, Ayame-chan? I need to ask you something.”</p>
<p>Fuck. <i>Almost</i> perfect.</p>
<p>She grudgingly walked with Minato towards the exit, where they had just come from, and waved Leif to join the rest of Team Minato in going to the bunks. He'd be able to watch both Iruka and Rin and she took comfort in that fact instead of worrying about it any more. Minato hummed a little as they walked, seemingly content to let the silence settle around them, greeting passing shinobi as they passed by them with nods and waves. Ayame shifted her eyes to him once they finally made their leisurely pace outside of the doors and building entirely.</p>
<p>“Are you a sensor, Ayame-chan?”</p>
<p>
  <i>Fuck – fuck – fuck – fuck –</i>
</p>
<p>“What makes you think that?” She didn't want people to know – An Uchiha with a fully awakened Sharingan, with a Mangekyō Sharingan at that, that was a sensor? She wouldn't be able to dodge Root anymore; Danzō would have her spirited away in the span of a breath. Her eyes darted around them, hyper aware that having the conversation outside was better than having the conversation inside, for a vast amount of reasons, but it still made her twitchy. Zetsu was capable of slinking through the ground undetected so she really had no way of knowing if their words were only heard by the two of them.</p>
<p>Her paranoia was rearing its head.</p>
<p>Minato just smiled down at her and stopped a few feet from the entrance and just to the side, not blocking any possible incoming traffic and keeping them just out of view of anyone that would happen to walk out of the doors. Smart – and appreciated. “Little things – like how you tense up around some people and relax around others. Or how you knew we were here before you even rounded the corner.” She looked away from those clear-sky-blue eyes and towards the woods instead. “You didn't even react to us being there – no need to pout.” She wasn't pouting dammit.</p>
<p>“I don't want people to know.” Minato may not have been one of her favorite people – there was too much he had done wrong in training his students, <i>her brother most especially</i>, for her to count him among her current favorite adults – but he would soon be in a place of power. He would be the Hokage when the war ended and she would have to trust that he could keep her secret – and keep her safe. She needed to tell him why... but it was difficult. He wasn't Shikaku or Hizashi; she didn't trust him like she trusted them.</p>
<p>His head tilted just a smidge, much like a dog's would, and he asked, “Why?” Because she knew he would.</p>
<p>There was no logical reason to know about the inner workings of Root, not her and not right then and there was certainly no evidence that would support anything she would say about it all. But – “Because I don't want everyone to know what all I can do.” She could see Danzō in her head, appearing in the middle of the street on her way home and asking her to join him again. Or even sending one of his operatives instead to drug her and take her or even knock her out first instead and she just –</p>
<p>The realities were so very real and possible and she could feel her chest beginning to hurt from the thought of it all.</p>
<p>“Ayame-chan?”</p>
<p>“I –” She had to tell him – about Danzō and Rin and Obi-nii and Madara and Kushina – but <i>how?</i> There was no way he would believe her; she hardly believed herself at times. “When I was in the Academy, I was bored. A lot.” It was a terrible way to start, but her mouth was moving and the words were already out and Minato hadn't interrupted her yet. “And I played shogi with Shikaku a lot, too, because he said it would help with me being bored all the time.” It was one of the reasons and, frankly, the only one he needed to know unless Shikaku told him anything more. “I graduated early – one of the only students to do so – and I was assigned Hizashi-sensei for my teacher.” She remembered it all happening so clearly. Possibly a cursed side-effect to having a Sharingan. “I hadn't been his student for long before I was approached by a councilman about joining a different organization instead.”</p>
<p>“You were scouted?” Minato hummed, hands lifting to cradle both his chin and his elbow. “ANBU?”</p>
<p>“He said it was called Root.” She hadn't mentioned Danzō's name yet and she wasn't sure why. Maybe because she was still worried about being overheard? “And that when, not if, I joined that I would have to give up <i>everything</i>.” <i>Everything for Konoha.</i> Vita had been more than willing to defend her country if push came to shove and the need was there but patriotism was never something she possessed. It never sat right with her, the way it turned some people into brain-washed fools that followed without question. Ayame would question and doubt and wonder why – and she would fear the blind devotion some possessed. “And I didn't want to join.”</p>
<p>“So, you refused?”</p>
<p>“I –” Technically speaking – “No. I have not seen him since and –” He scared the ever-loving fuck out of her. She was young and had a kekkei genkai and it was a Sharingan at that and an advanced one even more so and she knew, <i>she just knew</i>, that she was checking off all the boxes that Danzō would prefer in a recruit. She didn't have many friends, originally; she didn't have parents, or family at all now; she was a child prodigy. She was only slightly surprised that she hadn't already been stolen away in the dead of night. Or even in the middle of the day. “I don't want to tempt him any further.”</p>
<p>Minato, thankfully, actually did look a little alarmed by her admission there at the end. Eyes going a little round as he moved closer and couched before her. “Ayame-chan, <i>breathe</i>,” She didn't realize how heavy her breathing was until just then. She worked on slowing it down as he watched her and kept talking. “There's no reason to get so upset. You can always turn down the offer and you'll be fine after. No one's going to take you away.”</p>
<p>She wasn't sure if he caught it entirely, but she looked at him as if she was doubting his very intelligence. As if he was betraying her even further by saying as much. “But,” His head tilted again as his mouth slanted and eyes narrowed some; considering. “I promise to keep your sensor abilities a secret. I was only going to ask if you wanted to train them further?”</p>
<p>She did, more than she knew until right then, but that was neither the time or place and – “Hizashi-sensei knows about my offer,” She muttered, breathing settled once more and heart calm now that the conversation about Danzō was, hopefully, over. “So you can speak with him about setting up a time and place for any extra training.”</p>
<p>“But do <i>you</i> want it?”</p>
<p>It was an earnest question, one he stressed to ask, and she blinked at him before thinking back and recalling that she never said whether or not she even wanted to train on it. Expanding her sensor abilities would give her an edge and – she would be able to spread her senses out further to try and find Obi-nii the more that time went by. She could look for him on missions or when he would be close to the village –</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <b>Naruto –</b>
  </i>
</p>
<p>“Yes,” She bobbed her head once, hands grabbing the straps of her backpack instead of clenching into fists as they were before. “I want to learn... if you don't mind?”</p>
<p>His smile broke through and he laughed a little. She made a grumbling noise when his hand came down onto her head and nearly knocked her tail askew. “It's a date then.” She wasn't going to blush over that age-old sad line used to tease younger girls and boys – she just gave him the flat look she had nearly perfected, thanks to constantly giving it to both Rikuto and Inoichi, and he laughed again before standing to his full height.</p>
<p>“Does Hizashi know about your sensor abilities?” She shook her head no – the need to tell had never come up and she had resigned herself on never revealing the ability either. “Alright, I'll mention it to him once we're all back in the village.”</p>
<p>
  <i>Oh goody.</i>
</p>
<p>Minato turned, as if to walk away, but stopped. Ayame quirked a brow at the serious look he gave her. “What was the name of the councilman that asked you to join, by the way?”</p>
<p>She hated even thinking his name – “Shimura Danzō.”</p>
<p>He nodded, once. “Does Hizashi know about it?”</p>
<p>“Yes; Shikaku too.” They were the only two, really. “And they said to just never be caught alone and avoid him.” It was telling, really, how his eyes went from <i>clear-sky-blue</i> to <i>icy-frozen-depths</i> in the span of a few words. His gaze was distant for a moment before he nodded again and was all smiles.</p>
<p>“Don't worry about it, then, Ayame-chan,” He waved a little as he started walking away again. “We'll talk more when we get home.”</p>
<p>Fuck; that was the last thing she wanted to do.</p>
<p>… And she hadn't gotten to mention Rin or Obi-nii to him either. Though she was still hesitant on bringing up the latter because of knowing how it would look without any evidence. And the same could be said about Rin...</p>
<p>Double shit.</p>
<p>The only thing she was able to do was sullenly drag her feet back to the bunks, finding Kakashi curled up on a bunk by himself and Rin sprawled out in a different one. Rikuto, who apparently gave up his bunk to Rin, was curled against Iruka – back to back – and Ayame needed to decide between curling up with Rin or Kakashi. They needed to minimize the amount of space they were taking up since they weren't going to be there long and there were still other shinobi at the outpost that needed the bunks.</p>
<p>Ayame steeled her nerves and careful walked towards Kakashi. “You can sleep beside Rin.” His voice was a whisper, if that, and not something she was surprised to hear. He would be a light sleeper, huh. “She wouldn't mind.” She was sure she wouldn't but...</p>
<p>“She's a restless sleeper, huh?” The splayed limbs and the slightly parted mouth all hinted at restlessness and how Ayame might end up finding an elbow to her ribs more than a few hours of rest. She was going to take her chances and shove Vita's embarrassed exclamations back and say, “I'd rather take my chances with you, if you don't mind?” The silence stretched between them, uncomfortable and tense, his back staying turned towards her, until he moved; inching forward just enough to give the majority of the bunk to her. Ayame eased in behind him, backpack digging into her spine, and curled her arms against her chest to keep herself from reaching out and wrapping them around him like she would have with Iruka or Obi-nii or Naoya. Kakashi was rigid. “I'm sorry.”</p>
<p>“There's no need to apologize; we need to take up as little space as possible while here.”</p>
<p>“That's not what I meant,” Ayame kept her voice quiet, attention more on the feel of Kakashi's chakra – a storm rolling overhead with thunder rumbling distantly in her ears and vibrating against her senses – and less so on the words she was saying. They were important words, too. “I'm sorry about bringing up the training at dinner the other day.” And she was, she just hadn't thought about apologizing for it – ever. She was actually planning on never mentioning it again but... “I'm sorry for putting you on the spot like that.”</p>
<p>“It's fine.” His back eased just a little, even though it was still as taut as a bow string.</p>
<p>“It wasn't,” There was a better way she could have asked, could have timed it, but Kakashi shifted suddenly and rolled over so he could look at her. “They told you to train me, didn't they?”</p>
<p>“They started to,” Kakashi admitted, voice just as whisper soft as hers. “But Sensei told me it was my decision.” Well, that made her feel a little better, even if she was certain that he had only done so mostly out of guilt caused by Obi-nii. She let her gaze rest on him for a moment, attention drifting to the headband that he had slanted over his other eye – where Obi-nii's eye rested. She recalled Vita's memory of events happening between the Uchiha Clan and Kakashi over the eye and wondered when it took place.</p>
<p>After the war, maybe?</p>
<p>“I’m glad you agreed.” She shifted to take the weight off of her shoulders a little. The rumbling of his chakra against hers was making her eyes drift closed. “I should probably warn you,” She muttered, feeling the need to rest beginning to overwhelm her. “But I'm a bit of a cuddler so I apologize in advance if you wake up in a hug.” She didn’t hear a reply but she may have already drifted off by then.</p>
<p>She woke up to tense muscles and an anguished yowl in her ear.</p>
<p>“Rin’s gone,” it was spoken in a hiss, with bristled fur, and her chakra roiled at the words.</p>
<p>
  <b>Fuck.</b>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kakashi was out of her arms and on his feet before her, the two of them rushing towards the door together. Ayame was thankful for her backpack and Leif and – <i>What the fuck was happening?</i> There was a partially collapsed wall and shinobi flickering overhead and around her and Kakashi's chakra being so near had muted her sensing everyone else but now – they were under attack. There were too many foreign chakra signatures around that weren't there before – either because of her failing to noticed them or because of them being foreign shinobi entirely.</p>
<p>“Where’s Rin?” Her voice came out in a strangled whisper, half-conscious of her senses stretching out to find Iruka and Hizashi and – they were together. <i>Good.</i> “Kakashi-san?” He was wired, bow-string taut, and she took note of his hands shaking before catching the look in his eye. “<i>Kakashi!</i>” He looked close to panicking.</p>
<p>“We have to find Rin –” It was an exhale, a release of whatever breath he had been holding, and Ayame bobbed her head and could only hope that he wouldn’t try to stop her from joining him. She was not going to let him go alone and – It was almost as if he heard her thoughts as he turned towards her with such a wide gaze. “You –”</p>
<p>“I’m going.” She wasn’t going to let him even say the words. “Obi-nii loves Rin.” It wasn’t a very hidden secret. The whole of the Uchiha Clan knew; not to mention who all just out and about in the village did. “I’m not losing her, too.” If she lost Rin then she would definitely lose Obi-nii and she wouldn’t be able to get him back for <i>years</i>, if she was lucky. And Ayame did not care for that thought at all.</p>
<p>Kakashi bit his thumb and summoned Pakkun. “Rin’s gone.” She was stretching her senses while he spoke, looking for the burbling brook and muddy bank and pond water flickering out from a rain drop hitting its surface – “Come on!” Leif was at her ankles, black Sharingan tomoe swirling in his eyes just as they were in her own, and they pushed themselves to keep pace.</p>
<p>Kakashi was a speed demon, following along behind Pakkun, with his own head tilting back occasionally to scent the air. She waited on his cues before diverting from their path.</p>
<p>
  <i>Crashing waves and ice rolling down her spine and howling typhoons and sharp needles and – </i>
</p>
<p>“Incoming!” Her hand had already pulled several kunai from her holster, flinging them towards the approaching shinobi who made her chakra react – they were not of Konoha and they had no reason for being there. Kakashi ducked one arm and drove his kunai through a pair of ribs – Ayame blocked one and tossed another and refused to think about how much blood came from a severed eye before her kunai was lodged into a throat next.</p>
<p>Don’t think – <b>Move</b> – Keep moving – </p>
<p>
  <i>Don’t think about what you’ve just done –</i>
</p>
<p>Chakra boiled in her lungs, heating and searing, and she held the Tiger seal as her chakra converted into pure fire. The flames that engulfed those unfortunate enough to be between her and Kakashi and their destination – <i>between them and Rin</i>. Kakashi looked back, long enough to catch her eye, and they were running again. Ayame didn’t think about the blue flames she left behind or the blood that was on her knuckles – </p>
<p>
  <i>They had to get to Rin – </i>
</p>
<p>“She’s up here,” Pakkun huffed, face pulled into a more severe frown than he naturally carried. Kakashi spared the briefest of moments to bite his thumb and slap it down onto the ground again, summoning the rest of his pack. Leif yowled and pounced on the emerging shinobi from the trees overhead while the smoke was still clearing – their shared vision showed her the village they carried on their person: <i>Kiri</i>.</p>
<p>
  <i>Kiri-nin –</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <b>Rin –</b>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <b>Isobu – </b>
  </i>
</p>
<p>Her vision tunneled shortly after, narrowing down to following Kakashi's back as he led them further and further from Konoha and their base but closer to Rin. Trees blurred and howls echoed, but her attention was on <i>roaring thunder and crashing waves and – </i></p>
<p>A tranquil pond, perfect for rock skipping, untouched by civilization, isolating her and drawing her attention instantly.</p>
<p>Isobu? Was that the Sanbi? <i>Was that Rin?</i></p>
<p>She blinked back into reality to hear shrieking birds and feel thunder rumbling against her bones and – “<i>What are you two doing here?</i>” Her breath was an exhale, the question barely asked, but Rikuto and Iruka were there and panting and – <i>Oh Sage, they followed them.</i></p>
<p>Rikuto and Iruka were back-to-back and Rikuto was the one that answered, with Iruka having a kunai handle in his mouth as his fingers weaved through hand seals. “We're here to help!” A throw of shuriken to distract the oncoming shinobi before Iruka's hands touched the ground and they were swallowed by a pitfall. Rikuto finished his own hand seals shortly after and closed it immediately, trapping those that fell. “We're a team!”</p>
<p>“She’s this way!” Pakkun barked at them, pulling them from what was about to be a tearful reunion – there were tears in Iruka's eyes that worried her and made her gut churn but she couldn’t stop, not now, not when they were so <i>close</i> –</p>
<p>Iruka and Rikuto were now at her back, Leif at her side, Kakashi in front with his summons surrounding them all and leading the way – to Rin. And Obito. And Zetsu. Her senses were alight with foreign chakra and she took a breath before resuming her focus, needing to look for the burbling brook and tranquil pond and not the warming campfire that she wanted to. She wanted her Obi-nii but she needed to find Rin.</p>
<p>
  <b>She had to keep Rin safe.</b>
</p>
<p>Kakashi's shout told her that they had found her. Iruka was panting behind her, obviously tired, but she joined Kakashi's side to look over the unconscious teen. Ayame knew she had to find something to showcase the problem before mentioning it – Vita knew what had occurred – but her eyes were struggling to focus on her. The relief of her being there was nearly overwhelming. “Iruka knows a little first aid.” Which he, thankfully, did so she had Kakashi hold up his teammate while she double backed for her own. Iruka and Rikuto weren't far away. “Is there anything wrong?” Iruka was kneeling beside her with lightly glowing hands as Rikuto watched their backs.</p>
<p>“There’s something…” His voice was low and his eyes were watery and red but focused and his hands ghosted over first her head then her shoulders and – “Here?” Ayame's Sharingan flickering to the Mangekyō version, she could feel the difference in the way the world seemed to change around her, and she used her senses to look at the area Iruka was focused on closer.</p>
<p>A lake in the middle of a storm, water raging against the edges and whirlpools threatening even life within its waters – <i><b>Isobu</b></i>. It had to be him. And something else… Kakashi moved to pick her up and Ayame moved to stop him. The standoff was far too tense.</p>
<p>“Why is she here?”</p>
<p>“What are you talking about?”</p>
<p>“Why take her if they were just going to leave her here?” Ayame asked again, eyes swirling as she nudged both Kakashi and Iruka back so that she could ghost her own hands over Rin's chest, where Iruka had been focused on earlier. “There’s something here – they did something.” She couldn’t explain what, but even Iruka could tell that something was not right with Rin right there. There were no obvious injuries, not even any bruises which should have been a bigger clue, and Ayame was tugging Rin’s shirt down from her collar to see it on her skin.</p>
<p>Rikuto's squawk was largely ignored.</p>
<p>Rin began to stir just as ink entered their vision, black against her chest with Ayame's chakra brushing against hers to make it visible, and Kakashi's pack began to howl at more shinobi incoming. Leif yowled his displeasure and shuffled closer to her.</p>
<p>The shinobi ambushing them met the shrieking birds that made up Kakashi's jutsu – <i>the one Ayame shouldn’t know about but Vita could recognize in her sleep</i> – and Rikuto's barrage of kunai. Iruka was shoved towards Rin as Ayame launched herself at two of the Kiri-nin. <i>Protect Iruka – Protect Rin –</i> She ignored each spray of blood and focused on the fight.</p>
<p>The tanto that found itself buried in her shoulder was a rude awakening. They were only <i>genin – <b>What were they thinking?</b></i></p>
<p>Ayame screamed – it <i>hurt</i>; it hurt <i>so much</i>; blood hot against her fingers as she pressed it against her wound – and Leif pounced, canines sinking into a jugular with crushing force, aided by chakra, and Rikuto was there at her side next. His hand touched her shoulder then the tanto then she was screaming again at the tanto moving in reverse.</p>
<p>“Ayame!” Rin. She was awake and – <b>furious</b>. She was a chūnin during wartime and it showed as she cut tendons in arms and hamstrings on legs – Vita forgot she was medic-trained. Ayame didn’t. “Hold still!” Chakra warred against hers the moment it started to try to stitch her together, not wholly blank chakra as she still felt the wet feel of water-based chakra try to slide against her own fire-natured coils.</p>
<p>Rin was too experienced in patching up her team to make such a mistake, even under duress, so it had to be something else. Something like the Sanbi – Isobu. Ayame eased her back and took in the chaos around them with a glance, finding a shuriken in Rikuto's thigh and blood on Iruka's face and hands. Kakashi was sweating bullets, not doubt scraping the bottoms of his chakra coils, but Ayame let her hand land on Rin’s wrist and felt that stormy lake flood her senses once more. There was red in the middle of the storm; Isobu.</p>
<p>“<i>Rin –</i>”</p>
<p>She was cut off before she could say more. Another wave of Kiri-nin appeared, their masks blank and their reactions to the fighting even more so – there was something wrong with that, too. Kiri-nin were known to enjoy fighting, even those of their higher ranks, and none of the shinobi rushing them even hinted at that personality. Rin, with one hand still pressing against her open wound to slow the bleeding, readied a kunai in her free hand for any upcoming enemy.</p>
<p>Rikuto and Iruka were suddenly there, just in front, and then Kakashi was in front of them –</p>
<p><i>No – no – no –</i> This hadn't happened the first time around. She couldn't lose them –<i> she just got them</i> – They were <i>her</i> team dammit – </p>
<p>
  <i>
    <b>Don't touch them!</b>
  </i>
</p>
<p>Kamui burst into life, warping the space in front of three of the Kiri-nin and snapped closed shortly after; there were limbs missing and one of them was only a pair of legs and still there wasn't a sound made from them as they collapsed or fell over. There was something wrong.</p>
<p>
  <b>Wrong – Wrong – Wrong –</b>
</p>
<p>Her eyes ached, her head ached, her chakra coils ached – Rin was still there with her and – </p>
<p>
  <i>
    <b>There.</b>
  </i>
</p>
<p>Campfire – fireworks – the full moon on a clear, warm, night – <i>Obi-nii</i> – She had to – </p>
<p>“There's no time! Kakashi!” Rin wasn't at her side any more! <i>Why wasn't she –</i> Ayame's eyes were flickering and blurring and she found her too late. Chirping birds were all she could hear and she had lost too much blood to move as fast as she needed to – as she wanted to – to prevent what was happening before her very eyes. Rin – <i><b>you goddamn idiot! </b></i>She had already moved to intercept him –</p>
<p>“Leif! Go get Sensei! Hurry!” Leif knew Hizashi's chakra, knew how to track him thanks to Kakashi, and she sent him without a backwards glance to see where he even was on the battlefield. She didn't have the time to spare. “Iruka! Get over here! Hurry!” She could barely stand but she was – She could barely move but she had to and she did – She couldn't think because of all the blood she had left in her pulsing in her ears and <i>ringing – <b>Obi-nii don't go, don't look, it's not what you think –</b></i> “Rikuto! How many are left?!”</p>
<p>“There's no one here!” Kakashi had already slumped over – chakra exhaustion, Vita mumbled into her thoughts, remembering what had happened to him only a little in her stunned state – but she pushed her worry over him to the side. Rin needed her right now. Rikuto was pulling his kunai out of the Kiri-nin's throat that had been Kakashi's original target. “What the hell just happened?!”</p>
<p>“I don't fucking know!” She was losing her shit and there was nothing she could do to stop it –<i> It didn't work</i> – She tried so hard to avoid Rin's goddamn death flag and it just went spearheading right through her anyway. “Check Kakashi! Is he breathing?” Her voice was tight, her grip on her wound was too and it hurt so fucking much, but she still staggered to Rin and collapsed next to her and Iruka; Sharingan eyes flickering over her, taking in the blood leaking from her mouth and the positively gaping hole in her chest. “Is <i>she</i> breathing?”</p>
<p>“Barely,” Iruka was crying – <b>fuck</b> – and there wasn't any way she could have comforted him right then. She needed him focused – She needed his help.</p>
<p>“See if there's any way you can close that wound!” She barely had enough chakra to keep herself going, let alone any to help Iruka with whatever small amount of Iryō-Nin that he knew – but she wasn't the only one there either. “Rikuto! <i>Is he breathing?!</i>”</p>
<p>“He's alive – just unconscious!”</p>
<p>“Then leave him! Get over here and feed Iruka your chakra! Rin's not looking good!” <i>Come on – Come on – Come on –</i> Leif should have made it to Hizashi-sensei by now, right? There was no way she was going to fail so spectacularly after being so prepared – </p>
<p>
  <i>
    <b>She was a goddamn idiot!</b>
  </i>
</p>
<p>“My bag –” All that shit she had packed and prepared for – for this situation entirely! “<i>Here</i> –” She pulled out the scroll that had her medical items and unsealed it, gasping at even that small amount of chakra use. Sensei was going to be <i>furious</i> when he found them, for sure. The scroll released that tell-tale puff of smoke as it released the items that she grabbed for and shoved towards Rikuto, mindful of the way Iruka's hands were shaking as he held them just over Rin's partially missing chest. “Use this! It'll help!” She couldn't focus long enough to make the world stop spinning – She couldn't even trust herself to pour the quick-clotting mixture over Rin's wound.</p>
<p>Rikuto's finger were cold and clammy when he took the bag from her but she kept her eyes on Rin – and then on their surroundings. <i>He had to be there! She had felt him! She knew she did!</i></p>
<p>“<b>Obi-nii!</b>” She screamed the name, with whatever air she could gather in her lungs right then, desperate to see that smile again and those bright eyes and to feel that warm chakra against her own. Silence greeted her, as well as the jerks that both her teammates let out at the sudden shout.</p>
<p>She knew his chakra anywhere...</p>
<p>“What the –” <b>Sensei – oh thank the <i>Sage</i> –</b> “<i>What happened here?!</i>”</p>
<p>“No time,” She shoved away his reaching hands and instead jerked them in Rin's direction. “She needs you more than me! I'll be fine! <i>Save her!</i>”</p>
<p>Please, for the love of all that is in the world, fucking <i>save her</i>.</p>
<p>There was a snarled <i>'we're talking about this later'</i> that should have worried her, but Rikuto's arm bracing her back and Leif's body pushing against her own were the only things keeping her from falling over right then. She had more pressing matters to think of.</p>
<p>Her Sharingan was still on when she looked above them – to the cliff – and saw a black cloak nearly blending in with the trees behind it. She saw a Sharingan eye looking back at her and her heart broke.</p>
<p>
  <i>Obi-nii –</i>
</p>
<p>“She's alive, though barely –” Sensei spoke and her attention jerked back towards him. “She needs medical attention; <b>now</b>.” Iruka was swaying and she jerked to catch him; Rikuto beat her to it and caught him with his other arm. “I'm not even sure how she's still alive.”</p>
<p>She wasn't dead – <b>Isobu</b>! The Sanbi must have been keeping her alive like a true jinchūriki instead of one just stuck in an explosion seal on her like Vita had thought. Fuck, her vision was blacking out along the edges. <i>No – No – No – No – She couldn't – <b>Not yet –</b></i> “The seal –” She wasn't sure if Sensei heard her or not but she was struggling; her Sharingan wasn't even usable anymore and had already turned itself off. She was beyond chakra exhausted. “Sensei – <i>the seal</i> –” They needed Minato to fix the seal so that Rin could heal properly like any other jinchūriki! It would save her! <i>It had to!</i></p>
<p>She doesn't know if he heard her though.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“Is Ayame going to be OK?”</p>
<p>“She just needs a lot of rest. Chakra exhaustion is no joke.”</p>
<p>“Getting stabbed isn't any better.” Rikuto certainly knew how to lighten a mood. Her eyes were struggling to open but she had to see her team for herself – She had to know that they were alright.</p>
<p>“Is Rin OK?”</p>
<p>“Ayame!” There were arms around her – <i>waterlilies and old books</i> – and she could feel her blood pressure going down at the way his chakra seeped into hers without thought. Its calming effect was just what she needed, even as her mind rioted. “You've been asleep for days!”</p>
<p>“Quiet in the hospital Iruka-kun.” Sensei was there next, leaning over Iruka to look down at her. He was even smiling. “Nice to have you back with us.”</p>
<p>“Nice to be back,” Her voice was hoarse and Iruka was quickly moving back with a mutter of getting her a drink. She only just then noticed her other hand being occupied. Rikuto was looking at her and holding one of her hands and she couldn't find any more energy in her than to just blink at the stare he leveled at her. “You alright?”</p>
<p>“I'm fine.” Then he turned his head and looked away from her, but didn't let go of her hand. She let it go – she must have really worried the little shit.</p>
<p>Her attention returned to Hizashi as Iruka offered her a straw. “How's Rin?” She asked again, bracing herself to hear about Rin's death – getting ready to hear how <i>nothing</i> she had done had managed to save the girl and she had just doomed her Obi-nii to such a dark path – She didn't notice how she was clutching Rikuto's hand in her own until he squeezed back.</p>
<p>“She'll live, thanks to you.” Hizashi's arms cross over his chest, his lips quirking almost in amusement at the way she exhaled a breath and seemed to sag back against the pillows behind her. She hadn't even noticed her body locking up. “There was a seal that Minato-san was able to alter on Rin's body that sped up her healing instead of killing her. Neither one of us would have even thought to look for it without you mentioning it.”</p>
<p>“I used too much chakra,” Iruka piped in, catching the look she shot him next. “I guess I passed out before Minato-sensei showed up.”</p>
<p>“You both did.” Rikuto muttered the words but she still heard them.</p>
<p>Hizashi bobbed his head once in a nod. “After you did, she mentioned a seal. I found it and was able to isolate it so that I could heal some of Rin-san's injuries before Minato-san arrived. He managed to get us all to the hospital before anything more could happen.”</p>
<p>“What about –” <i>No, she had to know –</i> “What about Obi-nii? Did you find him?”</p>
<p>The silence was deafening and she knew what it meant more than the answer would have. “He was <i>there</i> –” <i>She wasn't lying –</i> “I <i>felt</i> him! I know his chakra anywhere and I know he was there! <i>Did you find him?!</i>”</p>
<p>“No,” Hizashi tossed both Iruka and Rikuto a look that quieted them when they moved to answer instead. She wasn't sure what they were about to say and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know if it wasn't a yes. “We didn't find him. Are you certain he was there?”</p>
<p>“I know his chakra <i>anywhere</i>,” Her eyes stung but she refused to start crying. She would <i>not</i>. “Uchiha chakra is distinctive to other Uchiha, more so to close family. Our blood reacts strongly to those we're closest to in the clan as family.” She swallowed thickly at the way she had to explain it. “I know his chakra as well as I know my own.”</p>
<p>Hizashi hummed a little before looking away from her. Iruka's hand was now in her free one and she squeezed both hands tightly. They had to believe her here. <i>They had to –</i> “I'll send word to Minato-san, then.” Hizashi finally said, holding up a hand to hold off any words. She wasn't even sure what she would have said, to be honest. “If Obito-kun was out there, like you say, then Minato-san needs to know to keep a look out for him.”</p>
<p>“<i>Thank you</i>, Sensei.”</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“How's the most troublesome member of the newest Team Seven doing?” Minato made his appearance with a flourish, entering the room with a wave and a bag dangling from his hand and a sunny grin. He even brought Kakashi with him, the overcast-looking comparison that made eye contact more than he avoided it. It was the best she could have asked for, outside of Kakashi visiting of his own volition <i>while she was awake</i>.</p>
<p>Ayame, however, was not amused by the remark. “<i>Rikuto</i> is at home.” She deadpanned back, refusing to admit that he was more than likely right at that very moment about who had that title currently.</p>
<p>Minato laughed and sat at the foot of the bed, leaving Kakashi to take the chair nearby. “That's good to hear. I brought you some books; chakra exhaustion is no fun. Doubly so when they won't let you leave the hospital either.”</p>
<p>She felt her eye twitch at that. “I couldn't leave because there were <i>seals</i> on the windows and door that kept me from leaving.”</p>
<p>“Yes,” He didn't even look sheepish about it. “I was told about your <i>Great Escape</i> the last time you were in the hospital and thought a little help was needed in order for you to actually stay in place and rest up.”</p>
<p>“<i>Help?</i>” Her eye twitched again at the thought and she could have sworn Kakashi actually smiled behind his mask. “You've effectively locked me in my room.”</p>
<p>“Shikaku agreed with me.”</p>
<p>Well, fuck.</p>
<p>“Thank you for saving Rin.” Kakashi was suddenly speaking and he sounded <i>tired</i>. “I don't... I don't know what I –” He made a face and her eyes flickered over to gauge Minato's reaction before offering him her hand. She had done the same with both her teammates and those she was close to from her time at Ground Zero. Kakashi hesitated before he reached out and grudgingly took it, not looking the least bit like he wanted to even as he did. She wasn't letting go, though; now he was stuck with her.</p>
<p>She smiled at him then. “Rin's important to me too, even if she isn't one of my teammates. She's important to you and to Obi-nii and she's my friend.” She wasn't particularly close to her, really, but she would have moved <i>mountains</i> to increase the chances of Obi-nii coming home. Her gaze drifted back to Minato at the thought, wondering if that was why he was there. “Is she OK? They didn't tell me any details.” Has Sensei already told him what she said?</p>
<p>“She's in a coma,” Minato explained, pulling a few books out of the bag he had brought. Two by Senju Tobirama and one that had a rather questionable cover to it that made the Vita part of her brain suspicious. “Medically induced. They want to make sure she's at one-hundred-percent before letting her wake up since there have been some drastic changes to her chakra network that will take some getting used to.” That's putting it lightly. That, and Konoha being in the possession of another bijū after the war would certainly look bad, no matter how they spun it. There were supposed to be two in Kirigakure, she knew, and them no longer having one would make it seem as if the war was over stealing the Sanbi from Kiri.</p>
<p>It wasn't but politics and rumors worked against the truth, in her opinion.</p>
<p>“But she's going to be alright?” She wasn't an Uzumaki and she was far older than most when they were first made jinchūriki – it was honestly a surprise she had survived the process to begin with. Not that Ayame would be able to ask about it since she wasn't suppose to even <i>know</i> about jinchūriki and bijū and such. She wondered if she could ask about the seal...</p>
<p>Minato chuckled and pat her on the head – it made her want to grumble. “She'll be fine; everyone's just being overly cautious because of it being such a new situation. They haven't had to deal with something like this before but it'll be fine.” There was a <i>Fūinjutsu Expert </i>sitting at the foot of her bed, telling her that Rin would be fine, so she was willing to believe him this time and trust that he would be able to look after her this time.</p>
<p>
  <i>This time –</i>
</p>
<p>“Kakashi, would you mind going to the nurse's station and getting Ayame some more ice? It looks like she's almost out.” Every nerve in her body was suddenly wired because the phrasing made it sound like he had to talk to her about something Kakashi couldn't hear about. Kakashi's sideways look in her direction showed that he caught the phrasing too but still stood to his feet; he had to tug his hand out of her grip but he bowed and left the room.</p>
<p>Now it was just her and the future Hokage.</p>
<p>“Hizashi said you needed to tell me something.”</p>
<p>“I get the feeling that you sent Kakashi out of the room <i>because</i> Sensei already told you what I said.” She grumbled the words, missing the static-like feel of Kakashi's skin on hers. She had hoped he would have heard what she said, too, but she doubted that was the case if Minato was sending him out of the room. “I felt Obi-nii's chakra – he was there.” <i>He was alive</i> – She already knew that he was but to have felt it wash against her own, to have felt it so close after what seemed to have been forever without it around her.</p>
<p>It was like being wrapped in one of his hugs again. She missed it.</p>
<p>“Are you certain?”</p>
<p>“<i><b>I know he was there!</b></i>” She wasn't going to argue about it anymore – She wasn't explaining herself anymore – She knew what she knew. “He's still alive.” She looked up at Minato to not find doubt on his face but worry. “You're going to find him, right? You're going to bring him home?” Her thoughts were working double-time again at there being even the faintest possibility of Obi-nii coming home sooner. “Kakashi's dogs could track him – they know his scent right? – and you could find him together and bring him home –”</p>
<p>“Ayame-chan,” Minato held out his hands to hold her off, to make her pause. “Why didn't he come any closer? Why didn't he join the rest of you when you sensed him? Why wait this long before coming back?” She couldn't answer any of those questions confidently without him calling her mental state into question. “I'm not saying that we won't look for him,” Minato continued, “But I'm going to ask you not to get your hopes up.”</p>
<p>“He's alive,” She was not letting that fact go. “He's alive and he's probably hurt and confused and <i>I don't know what else</i>! But he's alive! And, as long as he's alive, he deserves the chance to come home.” She wasn't going to be petty and cruel and remind him that <i>he should have been there with his team when it had all happened – that he should have had a different Jōnin sub for him if he was going to be so busy with solo missions –</i> but the thoughts were there. She still blamed him for Obi-nii's situation, even though she knew that if Zetsu and Madara had wanted Obi-nii that they would have gotten him some way or another.</p>
<p>But Minato was supposed to be looking after him, wasn't he?</p>
<p>“If he's alive, I'll bring him home.” There was a little bit of conviction in his tone when he said the words, her eyes flickering between both of his and wondering absently if she should have flickered on her Sharingan just to burn the image of his promise into her mind. But she didn't. She bobbed her head in acceptance and reached out for the books, moving them onto her nightstand instead of leaving them on the bed. “Ah, right,” And there he was, all smiles again; as if the conversation had never happened. “The top two were from Shikaku –<i> I didn't know you were a fan of Tobirama's</i> – and the bottom one is from Kushina – she hoped you'd like it.” The Tale of the Incredibly Gutsy Ninja. Oh Sage, it was <i>that</i> book.</p>
<p>She wasn't going to mention it. She refused. “Senju Tobirama trained one of the most gifted Uchiha in the clan's history,” She stated. “And he was a lot smarter than people knew. He was a genius, yeah, but a lot of the things he put into place are taken for granted today because people have forgotten <i>why</i> he did what he did.”</p>
<p>“Is he your favorite Hokage then?” The was a teasing edge to his tone and she huffed at him with a glare as she absently watched the door to her room open. Minato must have sensed him returning before she did. She kind of wished he <i>had</i> eavesdropped.</p>
<p>“<i>Of course he is.</i>”</p>
<p>“<i>He's mine too!</i>” Kakashi sighed through his mask, handing her the cup of ice as Minato began talking about Tobirama's works and jutsu and policies when he had been Hokage. She wasn't going to admit it to anyone outside of that room, but she enjoyed that talk. She may have argued with him over certain things, too.</p>
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